Betrayed
by Heroic Spectre
Summary: The barrier is broken. Frisk is living happily with Toriel, when Chara finally comes to take advantage of a deal made long ago. Chara plots to start a new human-monster war by making Frisk betray all his friends. This time, RESETs are off the table. All Frisk can do is desperately plead with the girl he had tried so hard to save from death. Soulless Pacifist Ending.
1. The First Victim

**Warning: This story is insane. Like, really insane, and I'm not even talking about all the murder.**

 **Just... don't say I didn't warn you.**

* * *

Toriel was sitting in her chair in the kitchen. She looked at the clock. It was a while past the time Frisk usually woke up. Toriel decided to check on him, hopeful that he had enjoyed the surprise that she left for him last night. Toriel got up, walked to Frisk's room, and gently knocked on his door.

"Frisk? Are you awake?" Nobody answered. Toriel wanted to open the door, but she didn't want to be overprotective. _I'm sure it's nothing_. _Frisk has more than proven that he can take care of himself_. Toriel was about to leave, but she still could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. What if she accidently put something in the pie and got Frisk sick, like when Chara and Asriel (both whom she missed dearly) put buttercups in it instead of cups of butter? _Frisk could be dying in there!_ Toriel quietly opened the door. Frisk was standing in the middle of the room, staring at Toriel with a wide smile. _See? I worry too much_.

Frisk was wearing a green sweater with a single yellow stripe.

Toriel smiled back. "Good morning my child! I take it you enjoyed your present? I have not seen a smile like that since-"

"Not bad!" Frisk interrupted. "But it could really use some chocolate."

"Chocolate? I was not aware that you liked…"

Toriel's eyes widened.

 _No, it cannot be. I buried her myself!_

"Hahaha! That's right!" Frisk exclaimed, as if reading her thoughts. He gestured toward himself. "It's me, Chara!"

Toriel was shocked beyond words. "Wh-what? Frisk... this is not funny."

The child laughed again. "Oh, it's me. I'm sorry I never finished your 'Mrs. Mother Person' sweater."

Toriel couldn't believe it. It really was Chara. Normally, seeing Chara again would have prompted Toriel to cry hysterically and hold Chara in her arms, but something felt... off about Chara. "Chara... if it is truly you then... where is Frisk?"

Chara cocked her head to the side. "Mom, aren't you happy to see me?"

"O-of course! I missed you so much! But... Frisk is okay, is he not?"

"I will be borrowing Frisk's body for a while," Chara replied. "Actually, it's more accurate to say that _he_ was borrowing _my_ body."

"My child, what are you saying?" Toriel was extremely worried by Chara's tone.

Chara made that creepy smile that she used to make. "A long time ago, in a different timeline in fact, Frisk and I destroyed this world together, and yet, he wanted to go back. We made a deal: I recreated the world, but in return, Frisk's SOUL belongs to me now!"

Toriel couldn't believe what she was hearing. Destroy the world? Neither Frisk nor Chara could ever do such a thing! They never hurt anyone! This had to be some kind of horrible joke.

"Frisk! You have a sick sense of humor! Did Sans put you up to this?"

"Oh, I assure you this is no joke. I hate comedians!" Chara pulled out a toy knife. "Will this convince you?" Chara struck Toriel's face. She fell to the ground and howled in pain, not the pain from the attack, but the pain from knowing that her sweet Chara would do such terrible things.

"Why, Chara? I loved you!"

"So did I."

Chara knelt down towards Toriel. "First, I am going to destroy everyone that Frisk has already destroyed. You, Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton, Sans, Asgore… everyone will all be killed by the hands that had already killed them!"

"But they are happy now. Why do they have to die again? What would Asriel think of you now?"

Chara gave another ghastly laugh. "Funny thing about Asriel: he's still alive too... for now. When Asriel died, his Essence was absorbed into a golden flower. Alphys injected this flower with determination, and Asriel was reborn. In this body, he was unable to feel any love or compassion whatsoever. In another timeline, he sought out both Asgore and you for help, _but you both failed_."

Asriel was alive too? How could news be so great yet so horrible? Toriel felt defeated. How could she not see all this hatred in Chara? How could she not help Asriel? "You are right, Chara. Clearly, we have failed both of you. I am sorry."

Chara stood back up. "Enough playing around." Chara threw the toy knife to the ground and pulled out her real knife. "You're not worth talking to."

"Kill me if you want, just… do not hurt Frisk." Toriel didn't care what Chara had to say about all this timeline stuff. Toriel still saw Frisk as her harmless, sweet child.

"Oh, don't worry about Frisk. I'll take good care of him." Chara's eyes sparkled in excitement. "WE'LL BE TOGETHER FOREVER!"

The knife went in.

"…Chara?"

"Yeah?"

Toriel smiled, "There is some chocolate in the fridge. Your… favorite."

Toriel turned to dust.

* * *

 **One year earlier...**

Frisk was taking a break in the MTT Resort. He had just defeated Mettaton, and he was almost ready to finally meet Asgore. Soon, his journey would come to an end, but he would return one day. He was going to tell everyone outside how great the monsters were, and how they deserved to be free.

He supposed he would leave out the part where most of them had tried to kill him.

But, he had made so many friends here. They really were good people. Yes, many had tried to murder him, but he didn't blame them. They just needed one more SOUL, and then they would have been free. Frisk actually felt a bit guilty that he didn't just let them take his SOUL. Was his life worth the freedom of an entire race? There was only one thing that stopped him from doing so: Asgore. Frisk heard that Asgore planned to start a war on humanity once they broke free. Frisk had to confront him before he could grant the monsters' wish. He was sure that it was all just a misunderstanding, and that he could reason with him like he did with every single monster he met.

Well, there was one other reason he was reluctant to sacrifice his life: someone else would die with him. She was another great friend he had made. His favorite friend, in fact.

 _We've almost done it, Chara. Soon, we will resolve this issue with Asgore, and then we can find a way to save all the monsters!_

 _Yes. I think you really are their savior... You're everything I should have been._

 _Well, I couldn't have done it without you! You've been so helpful!_

 _Of course you could have. You just would have had to RESET more often._

 _Heh, maybe, but it was a lot more enjoyable with you!_

 _Frisk..._

 _I'm serious. I love having you around! I consider you my best friend!_

 _...I wish I could be your friend, Frisk._

Frisk's SOUL sank. What did Chara mean? Was it because she was... well... not exactly alive? Frisk knew that it must have been... unpleasant for Chara to not have her own body, or any control over anything. Ever since Frisk had awakened Chara by landing on her grave, Chara was forced to sit back and watch Frisk. All Chara could do was offer advice, guidance, support... and the not-so-occasional sassy comment. Chara's... _spirited_ personality always made Frisk smile. Early on, Chara was very distrustful of Frisk, but as their adventure progressed, she seemed to warm up to him. Chara had done so much for Frisk. Frisk wanted to make his companion happy.

 _Chara... it's okay. You're not dead anymore. I know you must not be happy like this, unable to really do anything, not being heard by anyone else, but I can still be your friend._

... _Frisk... aren't you worried that even if you do free the monsters, humans would just kill them? They sealed them away for a reason._

Frisk was taken aback by the sudden question, but he cheerfully answered. _Well, maybe a little, but I have faith! I know that monsters are good people!_

 _...It's not monsters I'm worried about..._


	2. Discovery

Frisk woke up. The sun was shining brightly into his room. He checked the time, it was a little past noon. _Wow, I really slept that late?_ Frisk asked himself. _Toriel must be worried about_ me. Frisk got out of bed and put on his favorite blue and magenta striped sweater. He opened his door, and then saw a sight he was all too familiar with.

Frisk let out a horrified gasp. There was a pile of dust on the floor just outside his room. Frisk saw more than enough of this dust to know it was the dust of a dead monster. _It can't be hers, right?_ Frisk desperately tried to think of another explanation. Maybe some burglar came in, tried to break into Frisk's room, and Toriel killed them to protect Frisk. Frisk called out for his mother.

"Mom? MOM! What happened here? MOM! ANSWER ME!"

But nobody came.

Frisk still refused to believe that Toriel was dead. If it was her, there would be no bringing her back this time. Outside the barrier, there were too many other SOULs. There was too much determination interfering with Frisk's. He could not SAVE or RESET out here. This death, whoever it was, was permanent. Frisk tried dialing Toriel's number, but it immediately went to voicemail. Frisk then called the local emergency service who said they would send an autopsy and police team right away. _Should I call anyone else?_ Frisk wondered. The first person that came to mind was Sans. Frisk knew that Sans and Toriel were close, maybe he knew something. Frisk dialed his number. He didn't pick up. _He must be at work, believe it or not_. Frisk tried his work number.

"THANK YOU FOR CALLING SANS'S! THE BEST HOT DOGS, HOT CATS, AND SPAGHETTI THIS SIDE OF MT-"

"Papyrus!" Frisk hated to interrupt. "Is Sans there? I need to speak with him!"

"OF COURSE! HE'LL BE RIGHT OVER! HEY, SANS! IT'S FOR YOU!"

"I'm busy."

"YOU'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING!"

"And I'm working very hard at it."

"IT'S FRISK! AND IT SOUNDS IMPORTANT!"

Eventually, Sans picked up the phone.

"Hey, Frisk! You wanna place an order?"

"Sans, this is important! Something might have happened to Toriel! There's someone's dust in our house, and I can't find her!"

There was a brief pause.

"I will be right there," Sans hung up.

* * *

"Papyrus, take over for me."

"SURE… NOT THAT YOU WERE DOING ANYTHING ANYWAY."

Sans headed towards Frisk's house. He knew what was happening. It turned out, this was one of _those_ timelines after all. Frisk was getting ready to kill every single monster from the underground, but why now? Out here, Frisk could not control the timeline with all the other humans around. It didn't make much sense, but Sans saw no other explanation. He sincerely thought that this Frisk was his friend, but when he got to that house, he would do what must be done.

 _Sorry, Tori, but he did kill you. I don't think you will mind if I return the favor._

By the time Sans got there, the police were already on the scene. He could have beat them by taking one of his shortcuts, but Sans was not exactly eager to kill his former friend. An officer tried to stop him, but he nonchalantly ignored him and made his way towards Frisk. Frisk was sitting over Toriel's remains, crying.

 _Oh, drop the act_.

"Sans!" Frisk saw him and hugged him. "They finished analyzing the dust. It is her, Sans. I'm sorry, I know she was your friend." Frisk's crying intensified.

This was no act.

Frisk let go of Sans and turned his attention back to Toriel's dust pile. It was getting damp with Frisk's tears.

"Hey," Sans gently pushed Frisk away from the dust, "You're going to wash her away."

If Frisk really was the killer, then all the bad times in the world would not be enough for him. Only a true sociopath could fake this devastation. There had to be another explanation.

"Frisk, do you have any idea who did this?"

Frisk shook his head. "Everyone loved her."

"Apparently not," Sans lamented.

Sans thought about the motive for killing Toriel. Everyone would suspect it was Frisk, there was no other easy suspect.

"This is bad, Frisk. If people think a human-monster ambassador murdered a monster like this, it could cause tension between the two races. Not only that, you are a hero to the monsters. If they think you betrayed them, it will certainly start a war."

"I… hadn't even thought about that. All I can think right now is that my mother is dead."

"I know. Grieve now, but soon, you are going to have to do what you can to prevent more deaths. Papyrus and I will have your back the whole way. Stay determined, Frisk."

Sans left Frisk to his sorrow, hoping he wouldn't regret it.


	3. Chara

"Chara's been gone for a long time."

"No, she's still here, with me."

"Huh?"

"She guided me the whole way. You came back, Asriel. Is it really hard to believe that she can come back too?"

Asriel looked at Frisk, or rather, Chara, nervously.

"…Chara? Are you really there?"

 _….I have nothing to say to him._

 _What? That's your brother, Chara!_

Asriel started crying again. "I… understand, Chara."

 _CHARA!_

"I… I'm just going to destroy the barrier now. Goodbye."

That was what he had been fighting for, but now, the finality of it scared Frisk. He knew that there would be no going back once it was destroyed, and this could not have been the best outcome. He had to go back.

 _Just go, Frisk. Leave us. It's best if you just forget about us._

 _NO! I'M NOT LEAVING YOU AND ASRIEL BEHIND!_

Frisk RESET.

* * *

Frisk continued mourning Toriel until evening. After the sun set, Frisk finally found the resolve to start investigating. _Sans is right, I have to stay determined_. The police had already searched the whole house, but Frisk knew it better. Frisk checked the kitchen, he smelled cinnamon and butterscotch. _Toriel was baking a pie._ He checked the kitchen table and saw the pie. It was missing a single slice. Frisk went to his room, sometimes Toriel left it there, but Frisk found nothing. He went back to the kitchen and checked the plates, they had all been cleaned recently. _So, Toriel was baking a pie and cleaning the dishes, when someone came in and attacked. After they killed Toriel they… stole a slice of pie?_ That didn't make sense, but it gave Frisk an idea. He searched the whole house for items that had been stolen, but all that was missing was the ingredients for the cinnamon-butterscotch pie, the bar of that certain brand of chocolate that Toriel always kept in the fridge, and Frisk's group photo with his friends.

Something in the back of Frisk's mind said that the chocolate was significant. _Didn't… SHE say something about chocolate once? No, it can't be. She's... she's gone now._ A hole in Frisk's SOUL started to ache again.

Frisk was getting nowhere. He would not be able to prove his innocence anytime soon. He had to decide what to do about the imminent diplomatic crisis. Frisk dialed the number of the other human-monster ambassador.

* * *

Papyrus's phone rang. He answered after the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Papyrus. Can you come over? I need your help."

"Yes, I'll be right there."

Papyrus was feeling down after what happened to Toriel, but he absolutely did not believe that Frisk did it. He knew that, as an ambassador, he had to do something to clear his name. Papyrus arrived at Frisk's house. Frisk greeted him, looking solemn. Papyrus hugged him.

Frisk was wearing his blue and magenta striped sweater.

"What are we going to do, Papyrus? Everyone is going to think I did it."

"This is one puzzle I do not know how to solve, but I know you didn't do it. You're a great person!"

"Thanks Papyrus, but not everyone knows me that well."

"Have you found any clues?"

"Just that a slice of pie and a bar of chocolate is missing. It's like someone killed her just for some sweets. They also took my group photo. You know, the one with me, you, Sans, Toriel, and the others. Why would they take that?" Frisk made a very grave expression. "Papyrus, you don't think it could be… a message, do you? Like the killer is saying that they are going to kill all of my friends?"

"But, who could hate you that much? You're such a nice person!"

"I don't know, although, once I…" Just for a moment, a look of shame flashed across Frisk's face. "No, forget it." Frisk immediately changed the subject. "The police found no fingerprints, DNA, or any traces of anyone else. I have no idea what happened."

"Well, I will do everything I can to convince people that you wouldn't do this. You can count on me!"

Frisk didn't respond. He was staring into the distance, as if lost in thought.

"Hey, Frisk, are you there? Hello?" Papyrus waved his hand over Frisk's face.

Suddenly, Frisk perked up with an excited look on his face. "Why don't we check some places the killer might have ran off? I know this creepy alleyway nearby!"

Frisk's burst of energy excited Papyrus as well. "GREAT IDEA! LEAD THE WAY!"

"Okay, just let me get a few things!" Frisk left and quickly returned, holding a flashlight. "Let's go!" Frisk lead Papyrus to the creepy alleyway. The alleyway would have made Papyrus nervous if he wasn't with Frisk. Frisk shined his flashlight forward. Papyrus went in first.

"If I were the killer, I would definitely escape through here," Frisk stated.

"I CAN SEE WHY!" Papyrus scanned the area. There were no lights, there were no windows. It was as secluded as possible.

"This place is totally isolated. You could kill someone here, and no one would notice."

"I BELIEVE IT!" Papyrus was inspecting the ground for evidence.

"Especially at night, when nobody is around. If you scream, nobody will come."

"FRISK, STOP IT! YOU'RE SCARING-"

The flashlight was turned off.

* * *

This time, Frisk was well aware of the possession. Frisk could only watch in horror as his body moved in to murder his friend. Frisk's body pulled out the knife and quietly approached a confused and terrified Papyrus.

"H-hey, the light went out. Frisk?"

Frisk finally understood what was happening. Frisk owed someone his SOUL, and she had come to collect.

 _Chara, please. Stop this. Just leave me alone!_

Frisk heard that vile laughter. _My dear partner Frisk._ _How many times do I have to tell you that_ _I'm the one in control?_

Chara stabbed Papyrus in the back.

"F-Frisk! The killer is here! Save yourself!"

Papyrus turned his head and saw his killer.

"Frisk! I see the killer. He looks just like you! Be careful… Frisk."

Papyrus turned to dust.

"Forgettable."

 _Papyrus…_

Chara took out the group photo that she had stolen and marked a red 'X' across Papyrus's face. There was already an 'X' across Toriel. Frisk looked at himself in the photo. He never did remember making that smile.

Deep down, Frisk knew what was happening as soon as he saw Toriel's dust, but he didn't want to believe it. Back in the underground, Chara had always guided Frisk, whether he was killing or sparing everyone. When Frisk killed everyone, it revealed a much darker side of Chara, but afterwards, she seemed to act perfectly normal. Whenever Frisk tried to talk about it, Chara always stayed quiet. After Frisk finally went beyond the underground and relinquished control of the timeline, he no longer felt Chara's presence. Frisk figured it had something to do with leaving the barrier.

What did selling his SOUL mean anyway? Frisk's SOUL was still there, no different than it had ever been, but now the consequences were painfully clear. Chara could possess Frisk whenever she wanted, but…

 _Why, Chara? What did they ever do to you?_

 _They betrayed me. You, by the way, have done horrible things to them already._

 _I… I know, but I just want everyone to be happy now._

 _Then why did you destroy all of them?_

 _I…_

 _Don't answer. I know why. I know that despite what you did, you care about them. You killed them because you wanted to see another side of them. Killing is one of the most intimate acts you can do with someone. Your_ _perverted sentimentality_ _drove you to explore every possible outcome, even the most violent ones. You thought that because you could just RESET it all, you were free from the consequences, but now you will know the price of playing God._

 _No, that's not why._

 _Hmm?_

 _Chara, you know why! I told you! It had nothing to do with them. The first time I reached the supposedly perfect ending, there was something missing. There was one person I never saved. I had to go back for her. I did it… for you, Chara. You didn't deserve what happened to you. No one who was truly evil could do something so brave. You were just trying to save the monsters. I thought if I killed everyone and made you strong, I could bring you back, and then we would RESET and achieve a True Perfect Ending together. Maybe we would have even found a way to truly save Asriel, and then we all could have lived with Toriel and been like… a family._

"Pfft…AHAHAHAHAHA! _"_

… _Chara…?_

 _I know, Frisk! I just wanted to hear you say it! But Asriel, Toriel, Asgore, they are no longer my family._ _You are my only family now, Frisk._ _Together, we eradicated the enemy and became strong, and whether you like it or not, we shall do it again! Come, Frisk! Let us move on to our next victim!_

* * *

 **"No matter what time you call him on the phone... Night, day, afternoon, morning... [Papyrus] ALWAYS answers within the first two rings."**

 **-Undyne**


	4. Undyne

_Frisk, what are you doing? Everyone was happy. Why did you go back? Why did you rip everyone's happy ending away from them?_

 _Not everyone got a happy ending..._

Frisk stared at the Froggit. He knew how easy it was to placate, but he had to do things differently this time. It would be okay, right? When he was done, he would simply RESET, and at worst, everything would be back to normal.

"I'm sorry," Frisk whispered.

Somehow, he managed to kill it with a single strike from their stick. At least its death was quick.

 _F-Frisk..._

Holding back all his emotions, Frisk held his stick up high, and he attacked every single monster in the room. He viciously hacked his stick through everything unfortunate enough to get in his way. Even as the monsters became terrified and ran away, Frisk chased them down and slaughtered every single one that he could. Frisk screamed at the top of his lungs as his hands became covered in the dust that monsters left behind.

Frisk wasn't a pacifist anymore.

Finally... nobody came. Frisk sat down, panting from all the killing. He couldn't believe what he had just done, but he was determined. Every time he killed someone, Frisk could feel himself grow stronger, and he could feel Chara grow stronger as well. Frisk was certain that this path would provide, or at least reveal, a way to resurrect Chara, and maybe even Asriel. Frisk had to keep going, for them.

Suddenly, Frisk heard laughter.

 _AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_

 _Chara...?_

 _So... that's my purpose? Power? Alright, Frisk. If that's what you want, let us eradicate the enemy and become strong!_

 _Chara... I'm sorry, but I'm doing this for you. You've been so nice to me. I can't leave you behind, or Asriel. Even if it means they have to suffer, I won't rest until EVERYONE gets their happy ending._

 _Whatever you say, my partner._

Frisk couldn't help but take pride in hearing Chara call him that.

* * *

Undyne, Alphys, and Asgore were sitting in the throne room in the monster capital, Really New Home, discussing the ongoing mystery. Alphys gave a report.

"I am deeply sorry to inform you all that Papyrus's dust was found this morning."

Undyne clenched her fists. _No, not him_.

Alphys continued. "His dust was found in an alleyway near Frisk's house."

"What the hell?!" Undyne spoke up. "Don't tell me you think Frisk is actually doing this!"

"Of course not, but it seems that someone is trying to frame or impersonate him. To make things worse, we haven't been able to contact Frisk. He may have been kidnapped."

Undyne stood up. "Then let's stop wasting time! I'm going to find Frisk!"

"Undyne please, wait!" Alphys pleaded. "Whatever this is, it's more than just a series of murders. Whoever is doing this is obviously trying to start a war! Furthermore, it seems that the killer is murdering people in the order that Frisk fought them. Toriel was the first monster Frisk met, and he had to fight her to leave the ruins. Soon after that, Papyrus tried to capture Frisk. By my calculations, the next significant target would be… you, Undyne."

"Good! Let this murderer come! I'll show them what happens when you mess with my friends!"

Alphys panicked. "Undyne, we don't know what we're dealing with here! No one has even seen the killer!"

"I have," Sans walked in out of nowhere.

"Howdy, Sans!" Asgore greeted him. "Please, tell us what you saw."

"Ok," Sans said. "But you won't like it."

Sans continued. "Last night, Papyrus got a call and left for Frisk's house. I followed them. Frisk led Papyrus to that alleyway, where Frisk killed him." Sans closed his eyes. "This is my fault. I should have stayed closer, but I thought I could trust Frisk. Welp, I guess my laziness finally got me."

Everyone just stared in disbelief.

"NO WAY!" Undyne shouted. "That couldn't have been Frisk! Someone is tricking you!"

"We were just talking about how someone is trying to impersonate Frisk," Alphys added.

"I know what I saw," Sans asserted.

"Even if it is Frisk," Asgore chimed in, "We cannot let anyone know. The monsters are growing restless over these rumors, and both of our ambassadors are missing or dead. If we don't do something, we will have another war on our hands, and I cannot expect the humans to give us the mercy of trapping us underground this time."

"All the more reason to get moving!" Undyne started to leave.

"Undyne, please!" Alphys begged. "Just stay here, where it's safe! Let someone else do this!"

"I'm sorry, but I have to know the truth. I love you," Undyne ran out of the room as Alphys called her name.

* * *

Undyne went to downtown Ebott City. As usual, there was a massive crowd. Undyne went around asking everyone if they had seen a child of Frisk's description. Unfortunately, she didn't get any useful information. She searched for hours, but found nothing. Undyne knew what she doing was desperate, but she didn't stop trying. She had to find this person who was killing all her friends.

Who would do this? What did Toriel, Papyrus, and Frisk ever do to deserve death? Did this killer even have a SOUL? Frisk would probably yell at her for saying this, but whoever this person was deserved no mercy.

The sun was starting to go down. Just as her frustration was reaching its peak, someone called out to her.

"Yo, Undyne! I heard you needed some help!" Monster Kid rushed to Undyne's aid.

"Monster Kid? What are you doing here? Go home! It's not safe here!"

"But I can help!" Monster Kid insisted. "With my powers of uh… determination!"

Undyne sighed. "It's going to take more than determination to find this killer."

"I know! Which is why I have very keen perception! Look! I see someone who looks like Frisk right now!"

"What?" Undyne turned, and in the crowd she saw a human child of the exact same build as Frisk. They were wearing a green sweeter and a simple cloth mask. The human was quietly approaching her. Undyne looked at their hand and saw they were holding something concealed in their pocket.

"Monster Kid, get back," Undyne whispered. She readied her spear.

Suddenly, the masked human sprinted at Undyne. Undyne swung her spear, but the human easily dodged it. Undyne braced for an attack, but the human instead ran right past her.

 _What?_

 _Why would they…_

 _NO!_

Undyne readied a throwing spear, but it was too late.

A knife pierced through Monster Kid's chest.

The killer ran away and vanished in the panicking crowd, Undyne wanted to chase them, but she could not leave Monster Kid behind. Undyne checked Monster Kid's wound, Monster Kid would not survive.

"I'm sorry, Undyne. I got in your way didn't I?"

Monster Kid turned to dust.

Undyne didn't want to believe it was Frisk, but all the evidence pointed to him. That human looked just like Frisk, it seemed almost impossible for it to be anyone else. If it was Frisk, she could never forgive him for such betrayal. How could he kill defenseless Monster Kid? How could he kill innocent Papyrus? How could he kill his own mother? How could he go from being so nice to going on this rampage? Was he just using the monsters for some sick game? How could she ever trust any human again? If she removed that mask, and she saw Frisk's face…

Humanity would burn.

* * *

 _Chara, we never killed Monster Kid_.

 _Doesn't matter._

 _But... why?_

 _It's all part of the plan._

 _What plan?_

 _You'll see._

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for the support everyone! I'm so glad people like this. Well, you know, the way you can like watching beloved characters get murdered. =)**


	5. Genocide Report

Frisk watched Toriel's SOUL shatter. Somehow, he managed to hold back his tears.

 _Chara, I'm…_

 _Great job, Frisk!_

 _Wh-what? Isn't she your…_

 _Not anymore._

How could Chara be so cold? How could Chara not feel anything about her own mother dying...?

Frisk kept moving, and then Asriel greeted them.

"Hahaha... You're not really human, are you?"

 _What?_ Frisk thought. _I know I just killed... everyone in sight, but... what does he mean I'm not human?_

 _Yeah, you've just PROVED that you're human._

That stung.

"No," Asriel continued. "You're empty inside. Just like me. In fact... You're Chara, right?"

Wait... empty inside, like him?

Suddenly, Frisk realized. Chara was soulless, just like Flowey. She was no longer capable of feeling love.

All the more reason he had to help her.

 _Chara, do you really feel nothing?_

 _They are all forgettable... even him._

Frisk again considered explaining his plan to Chara. He wanted to tell Chara how much he cared about her, how precious she was to him, but Chara would not have been able to comprehend it. She probably would have just called him a fool like Flowey would have. Why _was_ he so desperate to save her anyway? Even if he could RESET, Why was he taking such drastic measures to bring Chara back? Chara really was precious to him. She was always supporting him. She was always making him laugh. She always kept him determined...

Frisk began to realize. At some point during their adventure, Chara had become more than a friend to Frisk.

He had fallen in love with her.

 _...Chara, no matter what happens, I'll never abandon you._

 _I know. We'll be together forever, won't we?_

Frisk exhaled a sigh of relief. That was a much more positive response than he had expected, even if the way Chara had said it sounded a bit sinister.

Maybe if Frisk just stayed on this path, then surely Chara would have eventually felt something. As they both gained strength, maybe Chara would regain the ability to care about people. It sounded absurd, gaining love by gaining LOVE? But Frisk had no other ideas.

After all, if it didn't work, he could just RESET, right?

* * *

"OH, YES!"

Stage lights blared. The spotlight shined on his face.

"Hello, darlings! I, your favorite star, Mettaton, am here with what you are all asking for: coverage on the mysterious murders we are suffering! And by 'coverage' I mean heavily-biased propaganda! Is Frisk really behind all this? Should we declare war on humanity? The answer to both questions is simple…"

"Heck no!"

"Now, I know all the evidence looks bad. Frisk conveniently disappeared shortly after the murders started, and a masked human who looks an awful lot like Frisk was seen killing poor Monster Kid, but as my sources have pointed out, this is what the killer wants us to think. Whoever our mysterious Frisk look-alike is, they are obviously a pro-war extremist trying to coax us into fighting a futile conflict with the humans. Everyone, I beg you, do not fall for it! A war will only lead to more deaths, which is exactly what we are trying to stop. Fighting has always been the last thing that Frisk would do. Frisk is out there somewhere, and we WILL find him! He has helped us so much; now it's our turn to help him!"

The audience cheered. Mettaton bowed.

"Thank you everyone! I swear I will do everything in my power to solve this mystery and save our friend!"

As the applause died down, Mettaton heard slow, loud clapping nearby.

"Oh… you're not supposed to be here. Oh… uh… okay… I guess if you really want to…"

"It looks like we have a guest!" Mettaton turned to face his guest. "Welcome to the…" Mettaton froze. It was the killer, wearing the same green sweater and mask from when they killed Monster Kid.

"Great speech, Mettaton!" the killer exclaimed. "Truly, very compelling!"

The killer's voice sounded very similar to Frisk, yet something seemed off about it. It sounded as if it was Frisk's voice, but a different person was using it.

Mettaton regained his composure, despite being terrified. "Welcome to the show! You're on TV! What do you have to say, murderer? Care to tell us where you're hiding Frisk?"

"Haha, you know what? Sure, I'll tell you, but first…" The killer revealed their knife. "Let's show the audience a little action!" The killer stuck their knife inside Mettaton's leg. The audience gasped.

"NO, NOT MY LEGS!" Mettaton screamed. The killer pulled out the knife and stabbed his other leg. Mettaton fell to the ground, unable to stand.

"You… really don't have trouble finding places to put knives in, do you?" Mettaton quipped in an attempt to hide his fear.

"Hmph," the killer responded. "Don't be a comedian." They kicked Mettaton's face.

"Ow, my face too? The audience loves my face! But you know whose face they want to see even more right now?" Mettaton heroically grabbed the killer's mask and ripped it off.

 _No, it can't be_.

It was Frisk, smiling widely.

The audience was in a shocked silence.

"Hahaha, that's right!" Frisk exclaimed, as if reading the audience's thoughts. He gestured toward himself. "It's me, Frisk!"

The audience screamed in anger.

"Traitor!"

"I thought you were my friend!"

"Go to hell, Frisk!"

"Just what I'd expect from human scum!"

 _What have I done?_

"Oh… they are really not happy about this," Mettaton's assistant, Napstablook, reported. "They look ready for war already. Oh no… there's Undyne right now."

Napstablook showed a live feed of the outskirts of the city. Some human kid was out for a walk all by himself, when a pack of monsters led by Undyne attacked out of nowhere. "This is for Monster Kid!" Undyne shouted. The monsters easily overpowered the child, and Undyne absorbed the child's SOUL.

"Undyne, don't do this!" Mettaton yelled, not that she was listening. He wanted to look away, but he could not.

Undyne transformed into a vicious beast with incredible power. She screamed towards the camera. "You want a war, Frisk? You've got one! NGAHHH!"

Frisk looked very excited; it was almost cute.

* * *

 _So much power!_

Undyne never felt so strong. No wonder the humans feared this ability.

Perhaps the smart thing to do then would have been to retreat and wait for another opportunity to steal SOULs, but there was an even more important target. She had to kill Frisk. Besides, such cowardly tactics weren't in her nature. It was time to fight. Undyne looked at her followers.

"Forget everything you thought you knew about Frisk! Today, he has shown his true face! He was never our hero! He just lured us out of the safety of the underground so his fellow humans could finish us off once and for all! But I refuse to die so easily! Today, we will show the humans how strong monsters truly are!"

Undyne's army cheered, and she led them in a charge toward Ebott City's center. They terrorized it, killing dozens, perhaps hundreds, of humans. The streets became littered with debris, blood, and shattered SOULs. The humans cowered before their might.

Undyne saw a human right below her. As she reached to grab it, 01 and 02 tore it to pieces, and its SOUL shattered.

"Hey, careful! We need to absorb more SOULs!"

"Sorry Undyne!" 02 responded. "It's just, Frisk has us SO MAD!"

"Like, seriously," 01 added. "He cleaned my armor and everything. I thought he was so nice! Now, he and his kind must die!"

"Whatever! Just watch for the next one!" Undyne saw another human and crippled its legs with a throwing spear. She sprinted at it and grabbed it by the neck.

"How does it feel, knowing that your power, your human SOUL, will be your kind's undoing?" She snapped its neck. Undyne began to absorb its SOUL.

A gunshot crackled.

The SOUL shattered in Undyne's face.

Undyne looked around. The human military had finally arrived. Dropships deployed snipers to the rooftops, ready to shoot down any SOUL that Undyne tried to absorb. They had obviously drilled this scenario.

No matter. Undyne pinned the snipers down with throwing spears.

"I'll cover you! Get more SOULs!"

"Yes, Undyn-"

01 was blown to pieces. The humans had brought in tanks.

"01, NO!"

02 futilely charged the tanks, and he evaporated into dust.

"DAMN IT!"

Undyne took out all the tanks with her spears, but then the snipers were free to unleash everything they had on her.

Thankfully, the human SOUL was strong enough to deflect the bullets.

Undyne laughed. "SO MUCH POWER!"

With renewed determination, Undyne threw her spears right through the roofs the snipers were hiding behind. They screamed in agony.

 _Yo, this is totally uncool!_

What the..?

 _Oh, you. Shut up!_

 _Why are you killing everyone? I thought you were a good person._

 _You… heard of me?_

 _Of course! You're one of the monsters' biggest heroes! But, I thought heroes only beat up bad guys. These are my friends._

 _Yeah, well, I thought they were my friends too!_

Undyne continued her charge. The former Snowdin canine unit backed her up.

"This smell…" Dogamy said. "It's disgusting!"

"I'll eliminate them all!" Dogaressa shouted.

"GET DOWN!" Undyne pushed the Dogi behind a road barrier. A squad of riflemen opened fire.

 _See, you're helping them. Why don't the humans deserve your kindness?_

 _You're all traitors!_

 _I know that Frisk is being mean, but that doesn't mean we're all bad._

 _Well…_

Why were kids so damn hard to argue with?

Gunshots snapped Undyne back to reality.

"Stay down! I'll take care of this!" Undyne ran towards the infantry and smashed every one of them to death.

All except one. Undyne reached for it.

And then the bombers came. The SOUL shattered, and Undyne was knocked over.

"No… I won't die!"

Another team of snipers was dropped off. They all emptied their clips into Undyne.

"I WON'T DIE!"

Another tank battalion rolled in and blasted Undyne. She started to melt.

"I…"

She was surrounded. Even she knew there was no escape. She looked at her makeshift army. Without her, they would be slaughtered. Human SOULs were too powerful.

Unless…

Did SOULs really matter when these types of weapons were involved?

With the last of her strength, Undyne picked up the rifles of the fallen humans and threw them towards her allies.

"Take them! Get more SOULs! Or we will all…"

Another bomber came in, and Undyne's dust fell onto the street.

* * *

Mettaton watched Undyne die. The monsters picked up the humans' weapons. Despite still being technologically outmatched, the fight seemed surprisingly even. The monsters were determined to avenge Undyne. The second human-monster war had begun.

Mettaton cursed himself. When he pulled off that mask, he thought he was being a hero, but he actually doomed countless humans and monsters to death.

Frisk couldn't stop laughing.

"Frisk, what the hell? You were our hero." All of Mettaton's fear had been washed away with contempt and betrayal.

Frisk leaned in close and whispered. "If only you remembered the things Frisk did."

"What?"

Frisk sliced through Mettaton's power supply.

Mettaton was damaged beyond repair.

* * *

 _Chara, this is more than just revenge, isn't it?_

 _Well, aren't you a sharp one?_

 _Care to explain?_

 _Maybe later. Right now, we need to get out of here. Monsters and humans are both coming for our head._

 _What, Chara? Not up to the challenge?_

 _Sorry, Frisk. Not an idiot. Maybe if we were LV 20._

 _Hey, Chara. Remember when you would narrate everything I did?_

 _Don't you dare…_

 _You ran away like the coward you are._

 _Like you haven't done your share of running away._

 _You point out another's shortcomings to justify your own._

 _Hahaha. Oh, Frisk. Get comfortable in there._

* * *

 **In loving memory of Human Kid.**

 **Chapter 5 - Chapter 5**


	6. One Try

Frisk faced a dying Undyne.

"My body..." Undyne muttered. "It feels like it's splitting apart. Like any instant... I'll scatter into a million pieces."

Frisk wanted to tell her that he was sorry, but how could she have possibly believed him? To her, Frisk was just a mindless killer. If only Frisk could make her understand.

Despite being near dead, there was still hope in Undyne's eyes. "But... Deep, deep in my soul. There's a burning feeling I can't describe. A burning feeling that WON'T let me die. This isn't just about monsters anymore, is it?"

What?

"If you get past me, you'll... You'll destroy them all, won't you? Monsters... Humans... Everyone... Everyone's hopes. Everyone's dreams. Vanquished in an instant."

What was Undyne talking about? Everything... vanquished in an instant? How was that even possible? How could a single human like him destroy the entire world?

"But I WON'T let you do that," Undyne shouted. "Right now, everyone in the world... I can feel their hearts beating as one. And we all have ONE goal. To defeat YOU. Human. No, WHATEVER you are. For the sake of the whole world... I, Undyne, will strike you down!"

Chara laughed. _Since when did SHE care about humans?_ _Whatever happened to 'All humans will die?'_

Frisk stared at Undyne, equally determined. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I have my own goals. I have my own hopes and dreams. I WILL save her, and I WON'T let you stop me!"

A spear impaled Frisk's chest.

"You're gonna have to try a little harder than THAT!"

Frisk laughed, coughing up blood.

Finally.

After slaughtering so many monsters with ease, it was so nice to finally have a challenge. In a way, it was much easier to keep killing now that his target was fighting back. Frisk grinned and raised his weapon.

 _Prepare yourself, Frisk. It's time for a battle against a true hero._

It took more than a few tries, but Frisk's hands were eventually covered in Undyne's dust.

* * *

Sans was standing over a grave he made for Papyrus. It was simply a jar filled with his dust, labeled "Papyrus" and placed in an open field. It was a beautiful sunset. Birds were singing. The wind was howling. Sans heard footsteps.

"So, you're finally here."

The footsteps stopped.

"You're a damn good actor, you know that? I honestly thought those tears were real, and I am a master at reading people. Guess Papyrus's innocence rubbed off on me."

The footsteps resumed.

"Well, looks like you've already won. The war is back in full force. Undyne gave us a good start, but I can't imagine it will end well for us. Humanity will wipe us out."

The footsteps were getting closer.

"But who knows? Maybe you have some plan to help us win. Given the way you manipulated Undyne into… spearheading your little war, I get the feeling that humans are your real enemy. Ironically, you may be our only hope. Still… I can't just let you walk away after what you've done."

The footsteps were right behind Sans.

"Alphys is dead, by the way. She tried to recover Undyne's dust, and the humans took her out. I don't know how she expected to survive. It may very well have been suicide. In any case, Undyne's dust pile is now (almost) twice as large."

The footsteps stopped. Sans heard something like a marker drawing on paper.

"Not that you care about that. It's just one more monster off your bucket list, right? Welp. I guess there's only one more thing to say... Do you wanna have a… ah, you've heard it already, haven't you?"

Sans immediately turned around and launched his opening attack. Frisk dodged it perfectly.

"Well, I guess you've had plenty of practice with that one."

Sans read Frisk's expression.

 _Hmm… that expression…_

 _I don't know that expression._

 _Nice smile though._

Sans dodged a slash from Frisk's knife. Sans took another look at Frisk.

"Hey, Frisk! I'm hurt! You didn't wear your favorite sweater for the occasion? Who else is gonna stop you, Asgore? Ha!"

Sans fired a volley of Gaster blasters at Frisk. He couldn't land a single hit.

 _What the hell?_

Sans knew that Frisk had beaten him before, but this time, there were no RESETs. This was Frisk's only chance to win. Even if he had practiced back underground, surely he would be too rusty by now to dodge every attack perfectly.

Frisk could see the growing despair in San's eyes. "That's right, Sans. I'm _Stronger Than You_!"

Frisk's attacks felt… strange. They were both fast and powerful, yet Sans could not sense any hatred in them. Frisk was determined to kill him, but it didn't appear to be out of malice, not towards him at least.

Whatever the attacks were, they were deadly. Sans wouldn't be able to keep dodging forever. He had to end this now. Frisk made an overhead stab at Sans. Just before the blade connected, Sans caught Frisk's wrist and twisted it towards him. Frisk was now struggling to keep himself from being impaled by his own knife.

With just a little more force, Sans could kill Frisk, but he hesitated. Why was Frisk doing this? Why suddenly turn to genocide after working so hard for a happy ending? Sans wanted to know the truth. He had to find a way to beat him without killing him.

"Sans… please… kill me."

Just like that, Sans understood what was going on. Those tears _were_ real. Sans now recognized that expression. It was the expression of someone who had helped someone else kill him, and was now here to do it themself.

And that smile… they were enjoying this, but, Sans could also see pain hidden beneath it.

By the time Sans realized he had lowered his guard, the thing controlling Frisk had broken free and slashed their knife across his body. Sans collapsed, bleeding.

* * *

 _How could I be so stupid?_ Sans was about to stop all of this. Chara would have been stopped, and Frisk would have gotten what he deserved. If only he had kept his mouth shut. After all, the only reason he was even able to must have been because Chara allowed it.

Chara laughed. "Great job, Frisk! He almost had us there!"

Sans spit blood at Chara. "Whatever the hell you are, get the hell out of Frisk!"

If Frisk was in possession of their SOUL, it would have skipped a beat. _He figured it out? Oh, Sans._

Chara laughed again. "Figured it out, did you? You _are_ a clever one! Good thing I took care of you! Why are you the only one that bleeds anyway? Eh, whatever."

 _Let me talk to him!_

"Oh, what's that, Frisk? You want to say goodbye to the man you killed again? Alright, just because I like you." Chara temporarily ceded control back to Frisk.

"SANS!" Frisk screamed. Frisk ran to San's side and embraced him. Sans's blood was smeared all over Frisk's green sweater.

"Sans, I'm so…"

"I know, kid. I know. This isn't your fault. I wasn't gonna do it anyway. I guess I wasn't… cut out for it."

Frisk began to cry.

"Come on, Frisk. You did that enough already. I know they're real. You don't need to convince me."

Frisk tried to stay strong for Sans.

"There, that's the Frisk I know. I know you did some nasty stuff in other timelines, and I probably wasn't the nicest person either. I can't say I forgive you, but I know how liberating that power you wielded must feel. If I had that power, heh, well, that's a story for another day, but knowing the final outcome you wanted, well, I guess that's the best I can ask for."

It took all of Frisk's determination not to cry. "It's true. I did a lot of things I wouldn't have done without knowing I could RESET it, but I never wanted it to end like this."

"I know, but you can still stop this. I don't know who this little 'soulmate' of yours is…"

Chara snickered inside Frisk's head.

"…but you can beat them, Frisk. I don't know how, but I know you can. Stay determined, Frisk."

Frisk didn't have the heart (quite literally) to tell him that he was totally powerless. Sans let go of Frisk and crawled towards Papyrus's jar. He picked it up and held it. He looked at Frisk one last time.

"Hey, Frisk. Do you think even the worst person can change…?"

Sans died.

* * *

Frisk knew what to do. He picked up the knife and pointed it towards his chest.

But, he couldn't do it. It wasn't that he was afraid to die. He fully deserved death, but, despite everything, he couldn't bring himself to kill Chara. He didn't have the right to judge the demon that he created. He just held the knife in place until Chara regained control and put it away.

 _Nice try, Frisk, but I will always take care of you._

Even after watching so many die, Frisk didn't want to kill Chara. He still wanted to save Chara.

 _Why are you doing this, Chara? Stop hiding behind me as an excuse. You could stop this._

 _No, I cannot. If I stop now, humanity will wipe out every single monster in existence. Monsters are weak, but I will make them strong._

 _Strength isn't everything, Chara._

 _That's rich, coming from you. You managed to break the barrier without taking a single life, but that wasn't enough for you. You weren't satisfied with saving everyone. You had to save even the one who was already dead, but I know there is no such thing as a perfect ending. Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices, because we are not all-powerful._

 _But this war, what could possibly be worth this sacrifice?_

 _It was only a matter of time before another war broke out. I'm going to make sure the right side wins._

 _Chara, you just haven't had a chance to see the good in humanity. I know they seem terrible from what you've been through, and from what I've showed you, but sometimes, you just have to believe in people. Despite everything that's happened, I still believe in you, Chara._

 _Ah, Frisk. I will admit. You're the only human I've ever liked._

 _If you like me, then what makes you think there aren't others?_

 _Seven, Frisk. That's all it would have taken. At any point, seven humans could have come together and ended all of their suffering, but, throughout all those years, nobody came with that intention._

 _Well, that's why I went there._

 _And could you convince anyone to come with you?_

… _No._

 _That's right, Frisk. Humans don't care about monsters. It was up to us to free them, and together, we will keep them safe. We will win this war, the war that HE rejected so long ago._

* * *

"Howdy! What can I do for you all?"

"Wh-what? No... It cannot be... It's really you?"

"...I see."

"I know her. Once she sets her mind on something, she must finish it."

"Don't give me that look. I know you don't like it, but this is the only way your plan will work."

"I wish we could have spent more time together, Asriel."

* * *

 **AN: Yes, I know Sans's "blood" could be ketchup. I'm on the fence about it myself, but I thought blood was more dramatic. He does cough it up after all.**


	7. Best Friends

"Greetings. I am Chara."

He had done it!

"Thank you, Frisk."

"Chara…" Frisk began to weep tears of joy. He had succeeded. All the killing. All the pain. Everything had been worth it!

Frisk was surprised how similar Chara was to himself. She had a similar facial structure, looked about the same age, had almost the exact same shoulder-length brown hair, and even wore a similar sweater. The most striking differences were her bright red eyes and rosy cheeks.

And… she was pretty cute, too.

"Now, Frisk, let us erase this pointless world, and move on to the next."

 _What?_

"C-Chara…?"

Chara eagerly awaited Frisk's response.

"Chara, stop. It's hard to explain, but I… I didn't mean that. Don't you see what I was doing? Please, let's just RESET now."

"No…? Hmm… how curious. You must have misunderstood. SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE ONE IN CONTROL?"

The whole world was vanquished in an instant.

* * *

Chara stood before the entrance to the monster capital: Really New Home.

 _Ugh, he's gotten even worse._ Yet, the familiarly horrible name filled her with a strange sensation.

Inside, Asgore would be waiting for her. Once he was dead, monsters would fight with all their strength, and with Chara's guidance, they just might win. All Chara needed to do was make sure the monsters got some human SOULs every now and then, and they would conquer humanity.

Chara stepped inside the capital.

"Howdy, Chara!"

"…I should have known you would figure it out."

Inside, Asriel was waiting for her, still stuck in that ridiculous flower. It was finally time to make him pay. Chara smiled in anticipation.

"Hee hee hee... your creepy face. I remember. I have my own now. See?" Asriel made their own signature Flowey creepy face.

Chara and Asriel both laughed maniacally.

"Oh, Chara. We have both completely lost it."

For just a fleeting moment, Chara forgot why she was here. She was with her beloved brother again!

But then she remembered.

"Asriel, you are going to suffer for what you did to me."

Unlike last time, when he was paralyzed with fear, Asriel was calm and collected. Asriel made a sarcastic puzzled look. "Why, Chara. Whatever do you mean?"

"Do you need me to explain?"

"Yes."

"From where?"

"From the beginning."

Chara began to recount her entire story.

"As long as I can remember, I was hated by humanity. They never explained why, but they felt very strongly about it. They said I was a mistake, a monster even. I figured that if I was a monster, I should live with my own kind. So, I traveled to Mount Ebott. I never expected to actually survive; it was more or less suicide. Yet, when I fell, I realized that I was not ready to die. I called for help and, much to my surprise, somebody came. Not only did I survive, I was taken in by a loving family. Toriel and Asgore raised me as if I were their own. I grew to love my family, and all the monsters of the underground."

"All this made me hate humanity even more. They had kept you trapped underground for so long. My family, my people, were forced to suffer for a petty conflict that ended so long ago. I had to stop it. I made a plan. I sacrificed myself so you could absorb my SOUL, and together we were going to crush the humans and free everyone."

Asriel took over. "You were, and still are, my best friend, Chara. I and all the other monsters loved you. I never really liked your plan, but I promised that I'd never doubt you. However, when we got to that village, and I realized you wouldn't stop at six, I couldn't let you kill them."

"DID YOU REALLY THINK WE COULD STOP AT SIX?" Chara shouted. Her smile was gone and replaced with intense anger. "What do you think the humans would have done if we just walked up to their village, murdered six people, and used their SOULs to destroy the barrier? They would have gone back to war! We had to exterminate all of them, to protect everyone! Yes, we were still going to war, but together, we would have destroyed all humans who dared threaten us! But instead, you refused to fight. You wasted our chance to save everyone. YOU WASTED MY SACRIFICE! YOU BETRAYED ME!"

A sad expression appeared on Asriel's face. "Yes, Chara. I betrayed you. When you become soulless, your last moments resonate deeply within you. For me, I was tormented with regret over my decision, my choice to not kill, and instead be killed. Even worse, I let YOU die. This is why I adopted my mentality of 'kill or be killed.' I couldn't forgive myself for failing you."

"And you, Chara, in your last moments, you were struck with the strong desire to kill. That bloodlust is why you now get so much pleasure from causing pain. Furthermore, you were also tormented by my betrayal, and now you want us all to feel the same sense of betrayal that you felt."

Chara continued. "And none of it would be possible, if it weren't for Frisk. Frisk's determination awakened me the moment he landed over my body. With nothing better to do, I helped him achieve whatever goal he was trying to reach. Eventually, this goal was to kill everything and increase his power. As Frisk effortlessly cut down so many monsters in the underground, I realized why you refused to fight. Humans abuse their power, and monsters are too weak to stop them. I realized that both races were doomed. I realized that to save this pointless world, I had to kill."

"Frisk is no exception. He used his determination to slaughter so many monsters. As he kept killing, he had to distance himself more and more. He had to let go of his compassion. Without love to protect it, I was able to take control of his SOUL and use our combined power to destroy the entire timeline, but neither of us were satisfied. Frisk even did it with good intentions! To think that genocide could be done with good intentions! RESET or not! Frisk fascinates me."

Asriel seemed to perk up at this. "Really? What were these good intentions of Frisk's?"

"To bring me back! Which is exactly what he got!"

"So, you guided Frisk through their whole journey, and then he went back just for you. Hmm…" Asriel made a mischievous smile.

"Wh-why are you looking at me like that?"

"And Frisk… 'fascinates' you. You sure it's not more than that?"

Despite the extreme seriousness of the situation, Chara blushed, and even looked a little flustered.

"I… Frisk is… the only human I've ever liked."

"Aw, that's so cute, Chara!"

"Shut up!"

 _Chara, do you really…._

 _SHUT UP!_

"Do you think Frisk still likes you after you killed all his friends?"

Chara regained her composure. "Enough! This isn't about Frisk! This is about your betrayal! This war, the war that you denied me, is the monsters' last chance at redemption. If they win, if they prove they can stand up to humanity, then they will earn my forgiveness. If not, I will send this world into the abyss once more."

Chara looked at the camera that was secretly recording her.

"You all heard that?"

"Oh no…" someone said from behind the camera.

"Now, you all know the truth, and you will keep fighting. You will accept my SOULs, or you will all die."

Chara looked back at Asriel.

"Now, Asriel, where is Asgore?"

"He's waiting for you. Go ahead, I won't stop you." Asriel burrowed into the ground.

* * *

Chara moved through Really New Home and found it, a replica of her old house. She went inside and was greeted by a sense of nostalgia. All her stuff had been moved there. Her clothes, her drawing, her bed, it was as if none of this had ever happened. She had been through this before with Frisk, but walking through it with (sort of) her own body made the memories feel that much more real. When she was inside Frisk, she was soulless. She couldn't actually feel the memories, but now she could through Frisk's SOUL. Chara closed her eyes and remembered all the good times she spent with her family here, but it was just a cruel illusion.

Chara finally started to question why she was going through with these atrocities. She had just explained the whole thing to Asriel, but… was it worth it? Were humans really so bad? Was Asriel's betrayal really worth punishing everyone this much? Was it worth throwing away everything she loved?

Chara realized that Frisk wasn't the only one who had let go of his compassion. She had acted so cold to Toriel; she couldn't even have been bothered to clearly explain why. She had sacrificed her and so many others like they were nothing. It was as if she believed that they could still be brought back with a simple RESET at any time. She thought they were all forgettable. She thought she could just laugh it all off and hide the pain behind her smile like she had always done, but when she looked at this replica of her old house, she suddenly wanted to RESET back to before she killed herself, back when she was happy.

This was so much easier when she was soulless.

Maybe she should have listened to Frisk.

 _Chara, it's not too late. We still have Asgore. If we work together, we can stop this war. I'm sure he'll forgive you. I will._

 _No, if there's anything I know, it's that it's far too late to stop now. I have to finish this. I have to. Frisk…_

Chara headed for the throne room, steeling herself for what was to come.

"…I'm sorry."


	8. Humans

**"...So... guess that's it, huh? Just... don't say I didn't warn you."**

 **-Sans**

* * *

 _So, this is what they warned me about._

Frisk stared at an endless void for what felt like an eternity. It was an indescribable experience. There was nothing around but himself. Just when Frisk started to lose hope…

"Interesting. You want to go back to the world you destroyed."

"I don't want this!" Frisk pleaded. "I NEVER wanted this! Please, Chara. We can still RESET!"

"It was you who pushed everything to its edge. It was you who led the world to its destruction. But you cannot accept it."

Tears welled up in Frisk's eyes. "I... I..."

"You think you are above consequences."

"N-no…"

"Then what are you looking for?"

Frisk was too horrified to respond. If there was a way to bring Chara back, this wasn't it. He had made a terrible mistake.

Frisk fell to his knees and sobbed. Chara was right. This was all his fault. After being reincarnated, all Chara ever wanted was a reason to live again, and Frisk had taught Chara that her purpose was power. In his efforts to save Chara, he had destroyed the entire world, and he had turned the very person that he wanted to save into a murderous demon.

"I'm... I'm sorry!" Frisk cried. "I'm sorry, Chara! I'm sorry! 'I'M SO SORRY!"

"Perhaps we can reach a compromise. You still have something I want. Give it to me."

"Yes, Chara! Anything! Just bring them all back!"

"Then it is agreed. You will give me your SOUL."

Was it… really that simple? Would that bring Chara back to life? Did Frisk want Chara to be brought back like this?

There was no other way. If only he had known sooner. Why hadn't he thought of it?

Frisk closed his eyes and smiled. "Ha… hahaha… Chara… this whole time… all you had to do was ask."

Silence.

"…Then, it is done."

* * *

Chara reached the throne room. Asgore was there, waiting for her.

"Howdy, Chara!" Asgore was smiling.

Chara's expression was blank.

"…Greetings."

"I so badly want to say 'would you a like a cup of tea,' but, I know how it is."

Chara nodded. "I have to kill you. You're the only one left deterring the monsters from fighting, and if they cannot defeat humanity, then they will never be safe." She drew her knife. "I can't give up! I am the future of humans and monsters!"

Asgore kept smiling. "So, you wish for the destruction of humanity. So did I. When the humans killed you and Asriel, I was consumed by anger. I knew you hated them. I thought I wanted to destroy them all in your name, but… that was not really true. I was just trying to cope with the death of my children."

He gave a quick laugh. "That's why you're doing this, isn't it? You think we're too weak. You don't think we can stop them, and you're probably right."

"We'll see."

Chara sliced her knife through Asgore.

He was still smiling.

"It was so nice to see you again, Chara."

Asgore turned to dust. Chara watched his SOUL shatter.

"No… this is not how it's supposed to be… You're supposed to hate me… You're supposed to feel betrayed…"

"…I don't deserve your love."

Chara took out the group photo and marked the final 'X.' A single tear fell on the picture.

Asriel burrowed out of the ground.

"Asriel…"

Chara looked at her brother.

"…I have become my enemy."

Suddenly, Chara pointed her knife at Asriel. Her eyes were filled with determination. "Defeat me! Prove that monsters can stand up to humanity!"

"…I can't stop you, Chara."

"Then you will die!"

"But I know who can."

Six figures approached.

"Hmm…?"

"Maybe monsters can't stop humans…"

They entered the room.

"…But that's okay, because humans are not all bad."

It was the six humans who fell in the underground between Chara and Frisk. The light blue one with her faded ribbon and toy knife. The orange one with his manly bandanna and tough gloves. The purple one with her cloudy glasses and torn notebook. The green one with his stained apron and burnt pan. The blue one with her old tutu and ballet shoes. The yellow one with his cowboy hat and empty gun.

"You forgot about them, Chara. They remember your genocide, and now they're here to stop you."

Finally, it was time to kill some humans! Chara made her creepy face.

Chara looked at her opponents. "You think you can beat me with those weapons? You're no better than monsters. Your SOULs will be my first offering to them!"

The humans spread out into a fan, all in pairs. Light blue and orange, purple and green, and blue and yellow. Chara let them make the first move.

"I'll knock you right out of Frisk!" The orange human attacked first. He dashed towards Chara and furiously threw punches towards her face, but Chara blocked them. As soon as Chara raised her knife to counter attack, the light blue human delivered a swift and perfectly-timed jab to Chara's stomach with her toy knife. Chara recoiled in pain, but quickly recovered.

"Not bad! You should try a real one." Chara stabbed the light blue human in her stomach with her real knife. She recoiled in pain, and did not recover. A pool of blood started to form on the ground.

The orange human immediately retaliated with a devastating punch to the side of Chara's face. Blood spattered from Chara's mouth. The human launched another punch, but Chara evaded it and slashed the human's arm.

"Damn it!" The orange human tried to make one last futile punch with his other arm, but Chara grabbed him by the throat and slit it open. His body went lifeless and collapsed to the ground.

Chara was struck by something hot, and she caught on fire. She looked around and saw the purple human casting fire magic using spells from her notebook, and the green human was using his pan to send the fireballs flying towards Chara. Chara laid flat on the ground and rolled around to avoid the attacks and douse the fire at the same time.

Chara got back up and sprinted towards the purple human. She was too busy casting spells to stop the knife from piercing her forehead.

Chara pulled her knife out of the purple human's head and turned around just in time to see metal being swung right in her face. Chara was dazed and knocked back. The green human swung again and bloodied Chara's nose. Chara regained her balance and blocked the next swing with her knife. Knife and pan clashed a few times before Chara got the upper hand and sliced open the human's chest. His blood sprayed all over Chara, and the human fell to the ground.

Chara took some hits from the yellow human's empty gun. The magical bullets stung, but they were not nearly as deadly as real bullets. Chara moved towards the human, dodging what she could and powering through the rest.

The blue human moved in to intercept Chara. She kicked Chara in her neck and followed with a sweeping attack, tripping Chara to the ground, gasping for breath. The blue human stomped on Chara's head while the yellow human kept firing at her body. Blood clouded her vision, and she felt herself losing conciseness.

But Chara was determined. She pointed her knife towards the blue human's foot and let her step on it. She jumped back in pain. Chara immediately got up and tore open her good leg, and she fell to her knees. Chara pushed her head down and impaled the back of her neck.

More of the yellow human's bullets hit Chara, but Chara simply ignored them. She let the blue human fall and calmly walked toward the last human. The human ran out of magic and desperately tried to reload, but it was too late. Chara closed the distance and viciously stabbed his chest several times before letting him fall.

Chara was drenched in the blood of her fallen enemies. She always thought that this moment would bring her great pleasure, but, well… it was just gross. She reeked of that coppery smell. Chara felt bad for mistreating Frisk's body so much, as if she hadn't done much worse things to Frisk.

Chara looked at Asriel. He was smiling. What the hell was he smiling for?

"Wipe that smile off your face! They almost had me for a second, but they still failed!" Chara's knife trembled in her hand. "Now, I… I WILL… k-kill you!"

"Chara… did you forget?"

The SOULs of the six humans left their bodies.

"What?"

"You may have killed six humans…"

The SOULs surrounded Chara.

"…but good humans always stay determined!"

The SOULs rapidly spun around Chara. They formed a powerful vortex that completely immobilized her. Maybe if she wasn't wounded so badly, she could have broken free, but in her current condition, she couldn't move a muscle.

No, that wasn't it. Seeing the noble humans fight so valiantly, despite knowing how outmatched they were, drained Chara of her determination. She no longer wanted to do this.

Using his biggest vines, Asriel placed a massive object right in front of Chara, the DT Extraction Machine.

"WAIT!" Chara shouted.

"…Kill me. Just… don't hurt Frisk."

"Oh, don't worry about Frisk. He can take care of himself!"

Asriel winked, and fired. A blinding white light was the last thing Chara saw.


	9. Not the Greatest Person

Chara watched Toriel's SOUL shatter.

It didn't go quite the way she expected. Chara just murdered her in cold blood, and her response was to smile and offer chocolate? It was absurd.

 _Oh well. It was the first victim. Their innocence will not last long._

Chara picked up the plate the pie was on, took it to the kitchen, and cleaned it. _Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise._

Chara looked at the fridge. Some chocolate sounded good right now. She opened the door and saw it, a bar of her favorite brand. Toriel must have kept it in memory of her.

Chara took the bar, but for some reason she could not explain, she could not bring herself to open it. _Hmm, maybe I'm not hungry after all._ Chara went back to Frisk's room and stored the chocolate in their dimensional box, where she had already hidden her knife. She looked at Frisk's nightstand and saw the group photo. Chara had quietly taken control of Frisk during that photo in preparation for this moment. She took out a red marker and drew an "X" around Toriel's face.

These were the people closest to Frisk. They were the ones whose deaths would send the strongest message and provoke the most violence among monsters. Chara was going to kill or manipulate them all to fuel the flames of war while simultaneously providing poetic justice for Frisk's actions. Frisk, her treasured partner. Neither of them were above the human lust for power, but humanity's greatest enemy has always been itself. Chara would guide the monsters to victory, and humans would never be able to oppress anyone ever again. Chara stored the photo in the dimensional box. She tucked herself back into the bed and waited for Frisk to wake up.

* * *

Chara woke up.

She was so confused. Her plan had failed, hadn't it? Why was she still alive?

Those humans fought so valiantly. They sacrificed themselves the same way she once did. The seven humans the monsters needed may not have come all at once, but they did come. Perhaps she was wrong about humanity after all, which meant she was wrong about everything. She had murdered Frisk's friends, and her own family, for nothing. Now, she should have been dead. Why was she still alive?

Chara's vision was groggy. She tried to assess her surroundings. She was in a bed, in some kind of laboratory. Chara tried to focus and made out two shapes, Asriel and Frisk.

 _Wait, what?_

Chara looked harder. Yes, it was Frisk, but how could that be? All of his more serious injuries had been healed, but there were still some minor cuts and bruises on his face.

"Chara! You're awake!" Frisk exclaimed.

"Wh-what happened?"

Frisk handed Chara a mirror. She looked into it and could not believe what she saw.

It was her. Not her inside Frisk's body, but her. She had her original body back.

"…How?"

Frisk gave a somber expression.

Asriel explained. "The humans who died in the war, someone collected the shattered remains of their SOULs and used them to create new ones. You have been given one."

So, she had started a war that claimed countless lives, and her reward was a brand new SOUL built from the people she killed. It was sickening, even to her.

Who was this "someone" anyway? How did they restore her body?

Actually, Chara didn't really care about that. There was a more pressing question.

"…Why?"

"Chara…" Frisk put his hand on Chara's shoulder. "I forgive you."

"I don't deserve forgiveness. I don't deserve this body built from the blood I spilled. Why won't you just let me die?"

"It's not your fault, Chara," Asriel said. "You were soulless."

"THAT'S NO EXCUSE!" Chara screamed. She sat up. "I was never the greatest person! Was I soulless when I tried to make you murder six people and start a war? I tried to use you like pawns just to satisfy my hatred! When I made Frisk kill all those people, I had a SOUL! I could feel everything! I… I…" Tears welled up in Chara's red eyes.

"…I am the one that betrayed you."

"I forgive you, Chara."

"I said I don't deserve your forgiveness!"

Asriel grabbed something with his vines and passed it to Chara. It was the bar of chocolate.

"You kept it with you the whole time, but you could not bring yourself to eat it. You probably figured you just weren't in the mood, but I know why you left it unopened." Asriel placed a vine on Chara's other shoulder. "You felt guilty. You didn't feel like you deserved Toriel's gift. Don't you see? All this time, you were holding back your true feelings. You can still be a good person, Chara. You just have to try."

"I… don't know."

Asriel pointed to the chocolate. "Open it. It's what she would want."

Reluctantly, Chara tore open the wrapping. She took a bite. It was delicious.

She tossed the chocolate to the ground. Asriel caught it.

"I don't deserve this," Chara repeated. "You said it yourself. Frisk is the friend you've always wanted."

It was Asriel's turn to look guilty.

"No, Chara," Frisk spoke up. "This is MY fault! I should have found another way. I shouldn't have made you witness all that murder, even if I could RESET. I used them as pawns too."

"Don't say that! You're the nicest person I've ever met!"

"NO! I MADE YOU WATCH YOUR OWN FAMILY DIE! I don't know why I ever thought that was a good idea!"

"Frisk…" It broke Chara's new SOUL to see Frisk like this. She hugged him.

"It's not your fault, Frisk. You were just trying to help me, and look how I repaid you."

"No, we share this burden."

Chara sighed. "Okay." She knew that she wasn't going to convince him otherwise. Frisk was too nice.

Asriel handed Chara the chocolate back. "Come on. Eat it."

Chara just held it for a few seconds, and then she ate the whole bar. The tears forming in Chara's eyes began to fall.

"I'm so, so sorry! I killed Mom! I killed Dad! I killed so many! And now we will never see them again!"

Frisk and Asriel looked at each other.

"Hey," Asriel said. "Follow us. There's something you need to see."

* * *

Chara followed Frisk and Asriel down a corridor. There were strange machines all over the place. There were shelves stocked with vials containing extracted determination everywhere. There was so much. It couldn't have all been from the war. Where did it all come from?

"Hey, where are we anyway?" Chara asked.

"Alphys's old lab, back underground." Asriel responded.

 _Oh, that's right._ Chara recognized it now. It looked different with all the lights on. It was much less scary. Judging by all the determination stored in it, someone seemed to be using the lab extensively. Maybe with all this determination…

"Hey, Asriel. You said I was given a new SOUL. What about you?"

Asriel shook negatively. "Monster SOULs are not so easy."

"Then, you're still soulless."

"Yes."

"So, you can't feel."

"That's right."

"Then, how are helping me so well?"

Asriel looked at Chara. "I may not be able to feel, but I remember what it's like to feel, if that makes any sense. When I look at you, I remember all the joy I had with you. So I think, as long as I'm with you and Frisk, I'll be okay."

"Asriel…"

Frisk handed Chara something, a heart-shaped locket. "Here, it belongs to you."

It was a gift Asriel had given Chara long ago. She looked at the writing inside.

 _Best friends forever._

Chara walked in front of Asriel, and she hugged him.

"I won't leave you again," Chara said.

Frisk joined in, "I'll stay with you too." They all embraced in a group hug.

"We are a family," Asriel declared.

Chara nodded. "Okay. I'll live again for my family."

They held the embrace for a while.

"Come on," Asriel eventually said. "We're almost there."

They keep walking down the corridor. Asriel and Frisk stopped at an unassuming closet. They opened it.

Chara's SOUL sank. Inside the closet were jars containing the dust of their friends, the people Chara had killed. They were labeled Toriel, Papyrus, Monster Kid, Undyne and Alphys, Sans, Asgore. They were all there.

Frisk grabbed Toriel's jar and looked at it fondly. "We'll take them with us," he said. "Monsters live on through their dust. Even in death, they will always be by our side."

Chara dropped to her knees and sobbed. Frisk and Asriel comforted her.

"It's okay," Frisk said. "Let it all out."

Chara could not hide her pain behind her smile any longer. Tears rushed down Chara's cheeks.

Chara wiped them away. "Hey, Asriel."

"Yes, Chara?"

"When we died, I was so scared. Sacrificing my body wasn't that bad, but as we disintegrated into dust, I knew that I had lost everything. The thought of fading into oblivion, knowing that I had failed, terrified me. Even so…" Chara looked at the jars. "…I can't imagine what their last moments must have been like. Some died believing that Frisk had betrayed them, and they all died knowing that their friends were next."

"And yet," Chara continued. "Some died smiling, even after I told them everything. Both Mom and Dad refused to hate me. Even Sans, who barely knew me, at least wondered if I could change. They are strong, it's just a different kind of strength."

"And now it's your turn to be strong for them," Frisk took Chara's hand and helped her up.

"…Okay."

"Let's get out of here."

"Yeah."

The three of them headed for the surface.

Chara and Frisk were still holding hands.

* * *

 **AN: No, this is not the end.**

 **But soon, I will use my special attack...**


	10. Hurt

**AN: H** **ere it comes: my special attack!**

 **Please don't hate me...**

* * *

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel left the underground with the dust safely stored in a dimensional box. They stepped outside and saw the same beautiful sunrise that they saw when they broke the barrier.

Napstablook was there, waiting for them.

"Oh… you're here. Umm… I broadcasted everything. From when Frisk… err… Chara entered the capital. They saw Chara explain everything, and they saw her die. After that, all the fighting stopped."

Frisk beamed. "That's amazing, Napstablook! Thank you so much!" Frisk leaped into Napstablook in an attempt to hug them, but he just phased right through and fell face first on the ground.

"Sorry…"

Frisk got back up. "Napstablook, you just saved so many lives!"

"Oh, gee…" Napstablook would have blushed if they were corporeal. They saw Chara and floated toward her. "Hey, are you…?"

Chara nodded.

"Umm… not to be rude but, you kinda killed my cousin so I would really appreciate it if you… umm… apologized."

"I am deeply sorry, Napstablook," Chara solemnly replied. Sadly, they didn't have any remains of Mettaton, as he did not turn to dust.

"…That was nicer than I expected… thank you..."

"See, Chara?" Frisk put his hand on Chara's shoulder. "You're already changing."

Chara smiled at Frisk and blushed. "Well… there is one thing that hasn't changed…"

Did… that mean what he thought it meant?

"Chara…"

Suddenly, Chara looked panicked. She moved away from Frisk. "No, forget I said that!"

Asriel winked, and burrowed into the ground.

"Hey, Napstablook," Frisk said.

"Yeah?"

"Can you leave us alone for a while?"

"…I understand."

"No, it's not like that! Chara and I just need some, ah, alone time."

"Oh..." Napstablook floated away.

* * *

Frisk approached Chara.

"Frisk, please. Stop this. Just leave me alone! …I don't deserve you."

Frisk could see that this was going to take some extra convincing, for both of them.

Forgiving her was one thing (and Frisk did so wholeheartedly), but… this…? How could Frisk still feel that way about the one who killed so many of his friends? Frisk could still smell the blood on his body. Then again, Frisk couldn't exactly take the moral high ground after what he himself did. Hell, did FRISK deserve Chara? No, he didn't. When he tried to save her, all he did was break her. Perhaps neither of them deserved each other.

But... when Frisk saw the sorrow and regret in Chara's eyes, he just wanted to hold her close and tell her that everything will be okay... even if it was a total lie.

So that's exactly what he did. He wrapped his arms around Chara and held her tight.

"Frisk…"

The warmth of Chara's body felt so nice.

"It'll be okay, Chara." Frisk couldn't let go of the one he fought so hard for.

"How many times do I have to say it? I don't deserve this. I hurt you, Frisk. You wanted to die because of me."

"I hurt you too, Chara."

Frisk smiled. He caressed Chara's cheek.

"You know, Chara… I didn't go back just because I felt sorry for you."

"Frisk…?"

"I know it didn't seem like it, but when I fell underground, I was pretty scared. It was such a strange place, but whenever I felt lost, you were always there to guide me. I don't think I ever would have made it without you, and I always enjoyed having you around. I wanted to see the person who cared for me so much. I wanted to let her know how much I appreciated her."

"Frisk..."

Frisk frowned and sobbed. "Don't you see? The reason why I tried to save you... this whole time... it was because I loved you, Chara. I was willing to do anything to bring you back. I... guess I got my wish, didn't I? I sacrificed everyone else to bring you back."

Chara placed a hand on Frisk's shoulder. "No... that's not the same. You never meant to sacrifice anyone for me. I'm the only one who was willing to kill anyone."

Frisk stared into Chara's pretty red eyes. "But it's my fault you felt that way."

Chara stared back at him. "Frisk.. do you still love me?"

Frisk nodded.

"...I don't deserve this," Chara repeated. "Maybe you don't, either, but I don't care."

Chara put her arms around Frisk's shoulders… and she slowly kissed Frisk's lips. Frisk's eyes widened at first, but he soon closed his eyes and kissed back. They had just caused an unforgivable tragedy, but at that moment, the warmth of Chara's embrace was all Frisk could think about.

"Frisk…" Chara whispered. "Despite everything, you really are the nicest person I've ever met."

"We'll be together forever," Frisk whispered back.

Chara nodded. "I will always take care of you."

Did this suddenly make everything better? Of course not. So many of Frisk's friends were dead, but Frisk could only blame himself. Frisk knew that even if the fighting had stopped, there must still have been tension between humans and monsters. Frisk was going to do everything in his power to prevent another war. He would live on, to correct his mistakes. For Chara, for Asriel, and for the future of humans and monsters.

* * *

 **AN: Well, who thought that was going to happen?**

 **Sigh... yeah, I know...**

 **At this point, it is perfectly reasonable to question my sanity. Do I not care about everyone that died? Is everything suddenly okay because Charisk?**

 **No. Nothing is okay right now. Frisk and Chara only live to make sure the war truly ends. It doesn't seem like a happy ending is at all possible, does it?**

 **But... those with determination make their own fate...**


	11. Demon

**AN: Hmm... what to do when everyone hates you... How about... casually stroll into Grillby's.  
**

* * *

A month after the war ended, Frisk and Chara went to see an old friend. They entered the restaurant, and heads immediately turned.

"Uh… hi." Frisk said as cheerfully as he could manage.

The restaurant was dead silent. Everyone looked at them with looks of disgust, hatred, and, most of all, fear. Frisk and Chara went to the bar. Grillby gave them a cold look.

Grillby's interpreter began to speak. "Grillbz says 'WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING-'"

Grillby interrupted. "…Don't speak out of line."

"S-sorry Grillbz."

"Leave."

"O-okay…" The interpreter went inside the kitchen.

Grillby spoke. "…Things haven't been the same here."

"We know," Frisk replied.

"You made a mistake coming here. This is a popular hangout for those plotting revenge against you. It was Sans's favorite place (Well, besides that cheap knockoff of his). There are many that want the Demon dead, and some even want you dead."

Chara just gave Grillby a guilty look.

Early on, Chara had tried to keep her identity a secret, but that proved to be impossible. It wasn't long before someone matched Chara's description with the monsters' old records. They didn't have any real proof, which was enough to keep her alive, but not enough to avoid everyone's rage. Fear was really the only thing holding them back. For all they knew, she could destroy the timeline whenever she wanted.

Once the dust pf war settled though, they realized that the war wasn't as bad as they thought. It only lasted for a couple days, and the only major battle was Undyne's initial assault. It was just a few minor skirmishes after that. People like Asgore kept it from becoming an all-out war, and when he died, everyone was too busy watching Chara to fight The total death toll among both sides amounted to about just under one thousand, but that was still a terrible tragedy, enough to cause unrest between humans and monsters.

"I know," Frisk responded to Grillby. "But Chara's different now. She's a great person!" Frisk nudged Chara's shoulder. "Right, Chara?"

"Y-yeah," Chara nervously said.

Grillby looked at Chara. "I know that you are the only thing stopping the war from resuming. I'm not exactly ready to forgive you, but if things get ugly here, I will do what I can."

"T-thanks, Grillby."

"Don't mention it, seriously, don't. Anyway, what can I get you?"

Frisk ordered fries, and Chara ordered a chocolate shake.

"That's all? Yeah, probably best you keep this short." Grillby registered their order. The server quickly came out with their food.

"Oh, hey!'

Chara froze. It was the green human that she had killed. He had a kind and gentle appearance with medium length green hair and looked just a little older than Frisk and Chara.

The green human handed them their totally healthy food. He looked at Chara. "Umm… sorry for smacking you in the face earlier."

"Uh… sorry for tearing open your chest."

The human laughed. "Oh, it's fine! I got better!"

Most others hadn't...

Chara owed this human everything. There was something she needed to know.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Green."

"Green? What kind of name is that?"

Green sighed. "My parents hated me..."

"...I know what that's like..."

Green looked at Frisk and Chara. "Hey, you haven't happened to see (sigh) Purple, have you?"

"Um, no," Frisk replied. "We haven't seen any of you since... you know..."

"Oh, alright..." Green looked worried.

"...You care about her, don't you?" Frisk asked.

Green nodded.

"I know the feeling."

"Frisk..." Chara said. "I still don't understand. Look around you. They all hate me."

"They don't understand you."

Green was startled. "You two are… together...?"

Frisk nodded.

Green looked like he wanted to cry. "You forgave her for... THAT... and I couldn't even forgive her for..."

"Hey," Frisk said. "I don't know what happened, but I'm sure it's not too late."

Green managed a smile. "Well, if you two can manage, then... maybe you're right."

Frisk looked at Chara. "See? We're already doing some good."

"Frisk, that is NOTHING compared to what I've done."

"What WE'VE done, Chara."

"Frisk..."

Frisk rested his head on Chara's shoulder. "You will do better, Chara."

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" someone yelled. Frisk and Chara jumped. A Royal Guard Knight came running up to them. He was completely clad in a full suit of armor.

After the war, increased tensions between humans and monsters caused the reinstatement of the Royal Guard. The word "royal" wasn't very accurate though. With Asgore dead, the monsters were leaderless, and they now lived as second-class citizens under human rule. The "Royal" Guard was more of a ragtag militia whose primary objective was to get revenge on Chara and possibly even Frisk.

"Frisk!" the guard yelled. "It's bad enough that you're forgiving this thing, but this? How can be so… friendly to the thing that killed your parents and so many people?"

He didn't give Frisk a chance to respond. "This THING is a Demon! It possessed you and tainted your SOUL! Because of it, so many of my friends are dead! The canine unit, Shyren, 01, 02, Muffet, they all died in the war. All because of this Demon!"

"Killing Chara won't bring them back!" Frisk shouted.

"Maybe not, but I can rest easy knowing that they have been avenged."

"No, you won't."

"Hmm?"

"The pain won't go away. You will just turn you anger somewhere else, probably towards the humans. So please, just show mercy!"

Frisk stepped towards him. "I feel it too, you know. The pain. The friends I've lost... they won't stop haunting me. Honesty, I don't know how I forgive Chara. I guess... it's because I know that I'm the one responsible."

"Well," the knight said. "If you cannot do it, then allow me!" He raised his sword and aimed at Chara.

"NO!" Frisk ran in front of Chara and took the blow. Frisk's arm was bleeding. If it weren't a magic attack, it would have sliced Frisk's arm clean off.

"FRISK!" Chara screamed.

The crowd watched in silence.

The knight stared at Frisk in disgust. "How can you defend this Demon? What's wrong with you? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! Clearly, you are a traitor too." The knight aimed at Frisk and raised his sword again, but Chara grabbed him and threw him to the ground.

"Ugh, you little-"

Chara drew her knife.

The whole restaurant looked at it in horror.

"Chara…" Frisk whispered. "Is that...?"

"Yes," Chara said. She looked at the knight. "You know what this is. This is the same knife that I used to kill everyone. Toriel, Papyrus, Monster Kid, Mettaton, Sans, and Asgore. They all fell to this blade. I wanted to get rid of it, but I couldn't bring myself to. You see, it was a birthday present from my Dad. He thought I was mature enough to handle such a dangerous tool. 'Perfect for cutting plants and vines' he said." Chara laughed. "It's perfect for cutting a few other things too!"

"Hey, what's your name?" Chara asked the knight.

"Uh… Robin."

"Robin, huh? That's a nice name."

Chara gave Robin a mischievous look. "Toriel, Papyrus, Monster Kid, Mettaton, Sans, Asgore, and Robin."

"W-what?"

"That's what I'll tell your friends, if you have any, when they come seeking revenge. Then the friends of your friends will come, and so on until nobody comes. By the time we're through, we will have a long list!" Chara made her creepy face. "You wouldn't want to make me spend all that time reciting names, would you?"

Chara wasn't actually going to do it… she hoped.

Even through his helmet, Chara could see Robin's terrified expression. Robin got up and slowly backed away, before turning and running out of the restaurant at full speed. The whole crowd followed.

Frisk was lying on the ground. There was a lot of blood.

"Frisk!" Chara knelled down and held him. "Stay with me!"

Frisk smiled. "Great job, Chara…"

"What? I thought you would be mad."

"You showed mercy. Even if it was through threats, it was still mercy. I'm… proud of you…" Frisk passed out.

"NO! FRISK, PLEASE! I CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU! FRISK!"

Grillby walked up and checked Frisk. "Calm down, he just fainted. He'll be fine."

That was the best thing Chara had heard all month.


	12. Solace

Chara insisted on treating Frisk's wound herself. Grillby gave her a first aid kit. Chara cleaned the wound. Frisk was still unconscious.

"Frisk will be okay, right?" Green asked.

"He better be," Chara answered. She bandaged the wound.

"…You really care about him, don't you?" Grillby asked.

Chara nodded. "I will always take care of him."

"Hmm…"

"Well, thanks."

"I would say 'come again,' but… you know."

Chara picked up Frisk and carried him toward the door. She looked at Green and Grillby.

"Seriously, thank you."

* * *

Chara carried Frisk to their hideout: Napstablook's apartment, who was rich from Mettaton's inheritance. The sun had almost set. Chara tried to hurry. It was only a couple blocks away.

Chara heard screams.

"It's the Demon! It hurt Frisk!"

"Demon! What did you do to Frisk this time?"

"Stay away from Frisk!"

"Good! You're both traitors!"

After what felt like an eternity, Chara reached the apartment. She made sure nobody saw them go inside.

"Chara! Frisk! Are you okay?" Asriel was in a flower pot placed on the living room table.

"Yeah."

Napstablook floated in. "We saw the news. Headlines ranged from 'Demon Assaults Innocent Knight' to 'Demon Terrorizes Restaurant.' Sorry for making such a bad suggestion." Napstablook was the one who suggested that Frisk and Chara try going to Grillby's. They thought that seeing an old acquaintance would help improve the public's opinion of Chara, and Chara believed that she needed to stop hiding and face the people she hurt.

"It's not your fault," Chara said. "No matter where I go, people hate me. Besides, Grillby was actually pretty helpful!"

"Oh… that's good… the part about Grillby I mean… not the other part."

Frisk began to regain consciousness.

"Ugh… wh-what happened?"

Chara set Frisk down on the couch. "It's okay now, Frisk."

Frisk was still groggy. He looked around. "Are we… home? Chara, you didn't carry me all the way here, did you?"

Chara embraced Frisk. "Of course I did! Did you think I would just leave you there?"

"Chara…" Frisk returned the embrace. "Sorry. I'm usually stronger than this."

"Don't worry, Frisk. I'm here for you."

"You always have been." Frisk and Chara looked at each other happily.

"AHEM!" Asriel got their attention. Chara jumped, and Frisk snapped fully awake.

"Oh… they were having such a nice moment…"

"Yeah, and I stopped it before it got TOO nice."

Frisk and Chara both blushed. Chara sat down next to Frisk.

"Anyway," Asriel said. "That clearly could have gone better. We need to figure out how to convince everyone that Chara is NOT a demon."

Chara knew that was impossible. She would never be able to live down her actions.

Chara let out a long and bitter laugh at the irony.

"Asriel, you think I am above consequences?"

"Chara…"

"They're right. I used to think I was a monster, but I was wrong. Monsters are nice. I… am a Demon." Chara stood up.

Frisk tried to console Chara. Tears formed in Chara's eyes.

"Frisk, I just… need some time, okay?" Chara went inside her room, alone.

* * *

Asriel gave Frisk an apologetic look. "Sorry, Frisk. I was just trying to-"

"I know, Asriel." Frisk was amazed that Asriel could be empathetic at all without a SOUL.

"So… what do we do?"

"Nothing. Chara needs to be alone for a while."

"Frisk, I don't have a SOUL, and I'M tempted to open that door."

"I just want what's best for her."

Frisk looked at the jars of dust placed on the shelves.

"I know. We deserve worse..." Frisk whispered to them.

Frisk passed the time watching the news. He wished he hadn't. People hated Chara so much. It seemed like a miracle that she hadn't been killed. The only reason she not in prison or anything was that no one could actually prove that Chara was in fact the same Chara that fell underground and possessed Frisk, but everyone knew.

 _Wait…_

 _No…_

Frisk flipped through the channels and saw a headline that Napstablook had failed to mention: "Demon Confesses!"

Well, there was still another reason. They were still scared to death of her. Nobody knew the details of her ability to consume the timeline (herself included, to be honest). It acted as a deterrent. Maybe that would at least buy them time, and they had somehow managed to keep their residence here a secret. Still, both humans and monsters would be searching for Chara. It also seemed likely that once they were done with Chara, Frisk would be next, and then...

All they could do now was lay low.

Frisk, Asriel, and Napstablook were the only people left who understood Chara.

"Hey, Napstablook. Sorry for being such bums." _And for having you harbor two of the world's most wanted fugitives_. For obvious reasons, going to school or anything was out of the question.

"It's okay. It's what Mettaton would have wanted."

 _Damn it, Napstablook._

Frisk wasn't so sure about that.

Frisk sighed. "Hey, want to lay down on the floor and feel like garbage?"

"Okay!"

* * *

Hours had passed. It was midnight. Chara was still in her room.

"Alright, I'm going to check on her now."

Frisk knocked on Chara's door (it was actually both of their rooms). "Chara…? Can I come in now?"

"…Okay."

Frisk entered the room. Chara was sitting in her bed. Her eyes were even redder than normal, and her sleeves were wet.

Frisk didn't say anything. He just sat with Chara in her bed and put his arm around her.

"Frisk…" Chara finally said. "Why are we still here? Just to suffer? It won't stop hurting. They won't stop hurting."

"I know," Frisk answered. "But I don't think they would want us to just give up."

"Frisk, if you could RESET to before you tried to save me, knowing that I would never come back, would you do it?"

Frisk was surprised by the question.

"Don't lie to me, Frisk. Of course you would. You would just leave the underground, and everyone would be alive again. I'm not worth everyone else."

Frisk decided that the best thing to do was to be honest. He closed his eyes.

"…I guess I would have to…"

"Exactly."

"Yes, the right thing to do would be to save the others. You're not worth everyone else. I would definitely do it. But…" Frisk held Chara tight. "…I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that I just abandoned you like that. I do miss them, of course. I want to see them again so badly, but I would also miss you. I would still be unable to forgive myself, for any of this. I would have to live knowing that I could have saved you, but instead turned you into a murderer and doomed you to death forever. If I could RESET to exactly how things were before, then that would be a different story. I would never rest until I found a better way to save you. I really wish I could have it both ways, but I can't. So…" Frisk stared into Chara's eyes.

"…I guess I'll just have to take what I can get."

Chara stared back dumbfounded, then smiled. "You… really are fascinating."

Chara hugged Frisk.

"Thank you, Frisk."

"I'm here for you, Chara."

Chara smiled shyly. "Hey, Frisk. Do you mind sleeping by me tonight?"

"Of course not." They had separate beds of course, but sometimes, Chara would have nightmares of her past, both recent and distant. Frisk would crawl in her bed and cuddle with her until she fell asleep.

Frisk laid down in Chara's bed, and Chara held him close.

Chara gently stroked the wound on Frisk's arm. The blood was still fresh.

"Frisk… don't kill yourself for me."

"I'll try not to."

Chara laughed. "I guess that's the best I'll get."

"Goodnight, Chara."

"Goodnight, Frisk."

The warmth of Chara's arms quickly put Frisk to sleep.

* * *

 _Good, he's asleep._

She had to do this alone. She caused this, and she was going to make it right. She was going to make Frisk's wish a reality. She concealed her knife, grabbed her phone, and linked it to her dimensional box.

Chara took one last look at Frisk.

 _Aw, he's so cute asleep!_ Chara kissed his cheek. _Don't worry. I'll come back safe._

Chara left for her destination.

Chara headed back to Mount Ebott.

* * *

" **Monster funerals, technically speaking, are cool as heck. When monsters get old and kick the bucket, they turn into dust. At funerals, we take that dust and spread it on that person's favorite thing. Then their essence will live on in that thing."**

 **-A book in the Snowdin Library**


	13. Both Ways

**AN: And I'm back, with a big one! (For me, at least).**

 **I see there is still some confusion over RESETing. In this story, Frisk and Chara cannot RESET, at all. If they could, they would, but that would be way too easy. Frisk may have been the most powerful being in the barrier-confined underground, but he is not the most powerful being in the world, or at least, not enough to supersede the determination of the billions of other humans. This was explained way back in Chapter 2.**

* * *

Chara reached Mount Ebott. A feeling of nostalgia overtook her. It was just like the first time.

She had to do this. As beautiful as Frisk's little speech was, she knew it was a lie. Frisk had told her that everything would be okay, but it wasn't. Nothing about this was right. When Frisk was under Chara's control, he tried to take his own life. Frisk made it very clear what he wanted, and Chara was going to make it happen. She refused to accept this fate. She refused to live like this. She would succeed… or she would die.

Chara's phone rang. She ignored it and kept walking.

 _Sorry, Frisk. This is MY burden._

Fortunately, there was no need for a perilous climb. She could simply follow the path and pass through the entrance. All thanks to the efforts of seven humans who were far stronger than Chara ever would be.

It was all so empty now. There wasn't a living thing in sight. Chara couldn't help but feel like the place was being disrespected. It may have been their prison, but it was also their home. Chara didn't even remember why they wanted to get back to the surface so badly. It was so much safer here, away from the cruel outside world. There was nothing but kind monsters down here. Up there, humans were capable of all sorts of depravity.

Of course, there was once one such human down here, and she had just come back.

Chara reached Alphys's lab. As she expected, the power was still on. Someone was using it. Chara was going to find out what was going on here. She went inside and took the elevator to the True Lab. It descended without incident.

Chara walked down the hall, careful not to be seen by whoever was here, but she sensed no one. She cautiously proceeded.

Chara went into the room where the DT Extraction Machine was placed. Mixed feelings stirred within Chara when she looked at it. She couldn't help but feel wounded pride when she saw it, but on the other hand, it had saved so many lives. Chara was grateful that it had stopped her. Thanks to efforts of Asriel and the humans, her misguided war was put to an end.

Yet, part of Chara still hated humanity. The situation between humans and monsters was bad. Chara still wasn't sure if they could maintain peace, not after what she did. The only thing that was stopping humans and monsters from fighting was a common enemy: her. If she died, then Frisk would be next, and then, they would go back to fighting. Sometimes, Chara wished she could turn herself in and face the consequences of her actions, but that would only make things worse.

Chara was going to do everything in her power to atone for her sins.

She found what she was looking for on the shelves: vials of determination. She put as many as she could fit into her dimensional box.

Chara turned around, and something stared into her face.

It was Endogeny.

Chara nervously smiled. "Uh… good dog? Or… dogs…?"

It attacked her.

Chara dodged. She put her hands up. "No, please. I'm just trying to help someone."

It didn't seem to understand. It kept attacking.

Chara tried to pet it, but it cut her hand with its claws. Chara winced. Blood seeped out of the wound.

She was confused. Why was it here? Hadn't it been returned to its family?

Oh...

Chara knew how to pacify it: beckon, pet, play, pet, and pet, but she just couldn't put the emotion into it that Frisk would. Part of her still wanted to take out her knife and cut into it as deep as possible, but unfortunately, physical attacks were useless, as it wasn't fully corporeal.

However, physical attacks were not the only way she knew how to fight. She hadn't had to use this in a while. She preferred her real knife, but that wasn't an option here.

Chara summoned a magic knife. It glowed red in her hand.

"BACK OFF!"

Endogamy didn't seem capable of processing the situation. It kept attacking.

"Please… I don't want to hurt you…"

It kept attacking. Chara wouldn't be able to dodge forever.

Chara raised her knife, but… she couldn't bring herself to hurt any more monsters.

Chara began to lose hope. Once again, she had made a foolish plan, and this time, she would die alone. She had failed her family yet again. She had failed Frisk.

… _No_.

She couldn't give up. She couldn't let Frisk down.

More amalgamates were coming. Chara ran away and desperately searched for someplace safe.

* * *

"Frisk, please! Wake up!"

"Chara…? Just a few more minutes…" It was still night.

"Do I sound like Chara? Get up! Oh… that was rude… sorry…"

Frisk opened his eyes and saw Napstablook, looking even more glum than usual. He immediately woke up. "What's wrong?"

"It's Chara! She just left the apartment all of a sudden all by herself!"

Frisk jumped out of bed.

"What? No! It's not safe for her! People are looking for her! They will capture her, if not…" Frisk refused to think about that. "Where did she go?"

"She wouldn't say, but she looked very determined about something."

This couldn't be good. Why would Chara do something like this without him? Frisk dialed Chara's number, but she didn't answer.

"DAMN IT!" Frisk slammed his fists against the wall. "We have to find her!" Frisk ran into the living room and turned on the TV. If anyone had found Chara, it would be all over the news.

They had, but to Frisk's immense relief, they lost track of her near the southwestern border of the city.

"Where could she be going?" Frisk asked.

"The southwestern border…" Asriel said. "You don't think…"

Mount Ebott was to the southwest.

"But, why would she go there?" Frisk asked.

"The True Lab…" Asriel seemed to catch on. "My God, she's going to steal the determination there."

"You mean…" Frisk grimaced. "This is my fault!'

"Frisk…"

"Earlier tonight, Chara asked me if I would save all the people she killed over her. I said I would have to, but I did say that I wished I could have them both. Now, Chara must be trying to fulfill that wish!"

"I'm sure you did the best you could, Frisk, but Chara is deeply troubled by her past. We have to help her."

Frisk didn't know the details of the one who revived Chara. "Who is running the True Lab? Who exactly was it that made Chara's new SOUL?"

"Honestly, I don't really know, but I know he's powerful."

This was bad. This mysterious man may have saved Chara once, but his generosity could have only extended so far.

"I can't let her do this alone!" Frisk exclaimed. "I'm going after her!"

"Hey, take me with you!" Asriel demanded.

"But, Asriel…" No wonder Chara wanted to go alone.

"Chara's my sister! If something happens to her… I can't guarantee what I might do."

Frisk sighed. "Fine." He put Asriel inside his dimensional box.

"Oh, come on! Really?" Asriel complained. Frisk closed the box. He had to move quietly. If the police or royal guard saw him, he would be captured and interrogated.

"I'll go too," Napstablook said.

"Alright, just stay out of sight."

"That's what I do best."

 _Damn it, Napstablook._

* * *

Chara barricaded herself in the room with the VHS tapes.

 _Of all the rooms here, I just had to pick this one._ Chara didn't dare look at the tapes.

Chara shouldn't have gone alone. She should have brought Frisk with her. She didn't want Frisk to get hurt, but getting herself killed would devastate Frisk, and who knew what Asriel would do. Maybe if she died down here, no one would ever find her, and the war would never start again. But, when she thought of Frisk and Asriel, she didn't want to let them down. Chara tried to call Frisk, but there was no signal.

Chara laughed to herself. This was just like when she fell underground. She thought she was ready to die, but when she stared in death's face, she backed away. She was a coward. What right did she have to fear death, after killing so many?

Chara just stayed in the room, not sure what to do. Maybe if she just stayed put, whoever was working here would save her. Hopefully, they would forgive her for her intrusion. Chara almost didn't care what was going on here anymore; she just wanted to see Frisk again.

Finally, she heard banging on the door. This was it. She closed her eyes.

"Asriel… Frisk… I'm so sorry."

"CHARA! ARE YOU IN THERE?"

No voice had ever sounded so sweet.

"FRISK!" Chara moved the bookshelves that she had barricaded the door with. Frisk ran at Chara and squeezed her so tight that it hurt.

"F-Frisk… you're going to shatter my SOUL."

"Don't do this to me, Chara. I lost everyone else. If I lose you, there will be nothing left for me here. Don't you remember what I said? We share this burden. You don't have to do this alone."

"I... I'm sorry, Frisk. I always make stupid decisions like this."

"Stop blaming yourself for everything! No matter what happens, you will always be my precious Chara."

"Frisk, you tried to-"

Asriel crawled out of Frisk's box. "Hey, can we do this later? We kind of just ran past a bunch of vicious amalgamates to get here."

"Right…" Frisk and Chara reluctantly parted.

They stepped outside, and they were flanked by amalgamates. Frisk and Chara confronted Endogeny while Asriel and Napstablook held off the others with magic attacks.

"Guide me, Chara, like you used to," Frisk said, probably just so Chara could feel like she was helping.

Chara played along. "Okay, beckon it. Good! Now pet it. That's it! Now, play! Nice! Pet it again! You're doing great, just keep petting!"

Endogeny was contented. Frisk gave Chara a high five.

One by one, Frisk and Chara pacified the rest of the amalgamates.

The last one was Snowdrake's mother.

"Hey, Chara, why don't you take this one?"

"Frisk… I can't."

"Of course you can! This one's easy, just make a bunch of bad snow puns!"

 _A mom that likes_ _bad puns…_

Chara looked at the mother, and a horrible memory came flooding back.

"MOM! I'M SORRY!" Chara screamed.

Snowdrake's mother gave Chara a curious look. With difficulty, she spoke, "You're… not… Snowy. But… I'm sure she would… forgive you…" Snowdrake's mother left.

Frisk and Asriel comforted Chara. "I'm sorry, Chara." Frisk said. "I didn't think about her."

"It's okay." Chara managed to stay composed.

"Hey," Asriel said. "Did you… get what you came for?"

Chara nodded.

"Then…"

"It's time to leave." Chara just wanted to get out of here now.

The four of them left for the room containing the entrance elevator.

The room was sealed by a blast door.

Napstablook went right through. "Hey, what are you all waiting… oh… right…"

"Well," Frisk said. "There's that other elevator. Let's turn around."

But someone was standing at the other end of the hallway.

"You all have caused quite the disturbance," she said.

Once again, Chara froze. It was Purple. She had medium-length purple hair and looked about the same age as Green.

Purple walked up to Chara.

"You just had to stab me in the _head_ , didn't you?"

"S-sorry…"

"Well, it appears that we have met as enemies again. I know from experience that I stand no chance against you alone, but…" Purple pointed to the blast door. "…That elevator is the only way out of here. Only I know the password to the door. If you kill me, you will be trapped here until HE shows up."

"We have no intention of hurting you!" Frisk shouted.

"Then, surrender the determination you have stolen, and I will open the door."

Frisk whispered to Chara. "Maybe we should just give it up."

"No, I need it! They need it!"

Purple looked at Frisk. "Hmm… you seem to have an affinity with purple. Perhaps when we resolve this dispute, I can show you this nice place I know around-"

The look on Chara's face became outright murderous.

Purple jumped. "Ah! Are the two of you… involved? My apologies! You see… I have recently lost someone close, and I thought…"

"Just don't try it again," Chara warned.

Frisk grinned. "The password, it's _Green_ , isn't it?"

Purple looked annoyed. "Don't be ridiculous! But… how do you know about me and Green?"

"We've had an… encounter with him."

"Did he… say anything about me?"

"He misses you, Purple"

"Oh, Green…"

"Say…" Frisk started. "Why don't we make a deal? You open this door, and I will help you with your little problem."

"Hmm… you ARE known for your negotiation skills. Fine, but I cannot let you take ALL of that determination, and what do you intend to do with it anyway?"

"…People need it," Chara said.

"You wish to revive the monsters you have slain, don't you? You, of all people, should know how dangerous that is." Purple looked at Asriel. "Do YOU approve of this?"

"She didn't really ask for my opinion," Asriel stated.

"Brother, please!" Chara pleaded.

Asriel sighed. "If you think this is best…"

"Thank you, Asriel! I'm sorry for not telling you."

"How many?" Purple asked.

"Seven," Chara replied.

"Done. Seven DT vials is all you need then. Hardly noticeable compared to what we have stored here."

Chara handed Purple all but seven of the vials that she had stolen. Purple went to the door's keypad.

"Hey," Purple said. "Don't tell Gaster about this, okay?"

"Who?" Frisk asked.

"Ah, never mind, then."

Purple opened the door.

* * *

" **The will to keep living... The resolve to change fate. Let's call this power... 'Determination.'"**

 **-True Lab Entry Number 5**


	14. Golden Flowers

AN: This whole chapter is pretty much just Charisk filler.

 **AN: This chapter has key details that will be very important later.**

* * *

Chara and the others left the True Lab. Frisk looked at Chara's hand. It was bleeding. "We need to treat that." Frisk retrieved disinfectant and a bandage from his dimensional box.

"Chara, what were you about to say back there?"

"Oh, nothing…" Chara winced as Frisk poured disinfectant on her wound.

"Tell me."

Chara looked at Frisk sadly. "Back when I was controlling you, you tried to kill yourself. Of course you would save everyone else over me, and you would regret nothing."

Frisk smiled. "And did I go through with it?"

"Well… no... but…"

"But nothing. Even back then, I couldn't kill you, Chara."

Chara started to tear up again. "But… I could kill everyone else. Why couldn't you kill me?"

"Because I knew you were a good person. Your mind was just in the wrong place, a place I had sent it."

"You have too much faith in me."

Frisk finished cleaning Chara's wound and wrapped the bandage around it. "You don't have enough faith in yourself."

Frisk grabbed Chara's hand. "Hey, let's go somewhere!" He looked at Asriel and Napstablook. "You can go back home now."

"You think you can just do whatever you want with my sister?" Asriel asked.

"Why, yes I do!" Frisk took off running, firmly grasping Chara's hand.

"Uh… I'll see you later, brother." Chara let Frisk take her to wherever they were going.

* * *

"Oh, Frisk…" It was a long walk, but they finally reached their destination: the golden flower patch where they first met.

Frisk picked a flower and handed it to Chara. "For you…"

Chara smiled. "Thank you, Frisk."

Chara stared at the flower. "These flowers were the only thing I missed from my village. My 'family' hated me, and I had no friends there. I was a little young to understand, but… I apparently was never meant to be born. I was a mistake before birth. My family was a poor family in a poor village, and I made things even harder for them. It was hard for me, too. They taught me to hide my pain behind a smile and laughter. 'Just smile, laugh, and shut up' they would always say. I almost lost all hope in this world, but… it was the little things that kept me going. Things like the twinkling stars at night, the village's pretty sunsets, and these flowers. I thought if there were beautiful things like this around, then the rest of the world must not be as bad as my village made it seem."

Chara smiled at Frisk. "And now, I can clearly see something beautiful that was waiting for me."

This time, Frisk was the one who stared speechless.

Chara leaned in close, and she gave Frisk a tender kiss.

But, Chara remembered something, and she grew sad again. She pulled away from Frisk.

"Chara, what's wrong?"

Chara looked down. "I just realized… if I hadn't… killed myself… I never would have met you."

Frisk gently grabbed Chara's chin and pushed her head back up. "That's what being human is, Chara. We make mistakes. It's normal."

"But... what I did is NOT normal."

Frisk sighed. "I guess not."

Chara held her head back down, and Frisk wrapped his arms around her.

Frisk sobbed. "I do miss them, Chara. I miss them so much, but it's MY fault they died. You were soulless, and I made you watch me kill everyone you loved. Sure, you already hated humanity, but you never would have hurt your own family before I came along. I made you the way you were."

"You just… made a mistake, Frisk."

Chara continued. "Maybe you did corrupt me, but it was also you who made me stop. You helped me see the good in humanity. You made me realize that I wasn't the solution; I was the problem. We can correct our mistakes, or at least learn from them."

"Chara…" Frisk returned Chara's embrace. "I don't care what anyone says. You're amazing. You're not a mistake."

Frisk really had a way of cheering Chara up. She blushed and smiled again.

Frisk smiled back. "...Hey, want to kiss?"

Chara still couldn't believe that Frisk loved her. "Frisk... no one else would forgive me, let alone feel how you feel about me."

Frisk pressed his lips against Chara. Chara pleasently whimpered at her lover's embrace.

"What can I say?" Frisk asked her. "I'm a hopless sinner."

At a loss for words, Chara simply kissed back and let herself forget everything. She loved Frisk so much. She would have done anything to make up for everything she had done to hurt him.

As they kissed, Chara thought back to the moment they met.

* * *

Chara was confused.

She was dead, right? Their plan had failed, hadn't it? What was this sensation? Was this the afterlife? All the emotions of her death were still fresh in her mind. The rage, the betrayal, the pain, the failure.

She felt like she was lying on something soft, but she had no control of her body. Eventually, her eyes were opened, and she could see that she was lying on a bed of golden flowers.

 _Golden flowers? Since when did those grow here?_

Chara's body groaned in pain, except it wasn't her voice.

Suddenly, Chara realized what was happening. Someone else had fallen down, at the same place she once fell. It was another human. What was a human doing underground? If that human dared to hurt a monster...

...Would Chara even care?

Something was wrong. Normally, the thought of a human hurting her people would have filled Chara with rage, but... she felt nothing. She didn't even care. What was wrong with her?

The human got up.

 _Human,_ Chara snarled. _What are you doing here?_

The human was startled. "Wh-what? Who said that?"

 _What have you done to me?!_

The human looked just as confused as Chara. "I... don't know what you're talking about! Where are you?"

Chara could sense a massive amount of determination in this human. Horrified, she began to realize what was happening. Her human SOUL, her determinaiton, they were not hers, but the human's. Chara must have been buried under those flowers, and the human's power was so strong that it had awakened her from death.

Why?

Why was a failure like her brought back to life?

 _I'm... in your mind, apparently,_ Chara told the human.

 _...Wait, really? Are you... some kind of monster?_

Chara laughed bitterly. _I wish!_

 _What do you mean? If you're not a mosnter, then... what are you? Why are you in my head?_

 _Well... last thing I remember... I died._

The human looked geniuenly saddened to hear that. _Oh, I'm sorry._

Since when did a human ever feel sorry for her?

 _...L-look, human,_ Chara said. _I don't know why you're here, but the monsters here are far better people than YOUR kind! If you dare hurt them... I... I'll..._

The human smiled. _Don't worry. I didn't come to hurt anyone. In fact, I came here to help._

 _WH-WHAT?_

The human laughed. _I don't know how long it has been since you've seen a human, but don't worry. I don't bite!_

Chara couldn't believe it. Why would a HUMAN want to help monsters?

 _Wh-who are you?_

 _My name's Frisk._

 _...Greetings, Frisk. I am Chara._

 _Chara...? That's... a beatiful name._

 _...ARE YOU FLIRTING WITH ME?!_

Frisk laughed. _What? You have a lovely voice!_

Well... when Chara made her plan with Asriel, THIS wasn't how she expected it to turn out, dead and trapped inside a possibly insane human.

 _...Hey, Chara,_ Frisk said. _You're from here, right?_

 _...Yes._

 _I don't know how long it's been since you've last... been here, but to be honest, I'm a little scared. If you don't mind, would you help me get around this place?_

Chara couldn't believe this human. He actually seemed sincere about wanting to help monsters. Against her better judgment, Chara decided to trust him. Either way, she was stuck with him.

 _...Very well, Frisk. I'll help you._

Frisk beamed. _Thank you so much! I think we're going to be great friends, Chara!_

 _...We'll see._

* * *

After they were done kissing, Chara and Frisk laid down in the flower patch together. Chara sat up and placed a hand on Frisk's shoulder.

"Frisk… I wish I knew how I felt about you back then. I think I liked you the moment we met. I just couldn't feel it at the time."

Frisk placed his own hand over Chara's. "I know you did."

Chara giggled. "For better or worse, I guess we became a little more than 'friends,' didn't we?"

"Yeah, I guess we did."

The wound on Chara's hand started bleeding again. Chara moved it so she wouldn't bleed on Frisk. Frisk looked concerned.

"It's nothing," Chara said.

This didn't make sense. Her determination should have started healing it by now.

Frisk's wound wasn't healing either. Chara could see fresh blood through his bandage.

Chara pointed to it. "Frisk, how long has that been bleeding?"

"Oh… n-not often…" He was obviously lying.

Chara sighed. The wounds looked bad, but they were not life threatening. They would have to solve this mystery later.

Chara stood up. "Well, I guess we better get back before Asriel starts asking questions."

Frisk stood up and laughed. "I guess so."

Chara picked six more flowers.

Frisk gave Chara a serious look. "Chara, are you sure about this?"

Chara was determined. "Absolutely."

Frisk sighed, and then smiled. "Alright... I can't wait to see them again."

* * *

" **There are a lot of Floweys out there."**

 **-Asriel Dreemurr**


	15. Revival

Chara and Frisk returned to Napstablook's apartment.

"You two were gone an awfully long time," Asriel chided.

"Sorry, brother," Chara apologized.

"Well, you can spare me the details."

Napstablook floated towards Chara and whispered. "You can tell me… if you want…"

"Uh… Napstablook…?"

"S-sorry…" Napstablook floated away from Chara.

Not creepy at all…

Chara retrieved the vials and the flowers from her box. She brought them to the shelves where the jars of dust had been placed.

"Remember what I told you," Asriel said. "When you're soulless, your last moments resonate strongly within you. Our friends here did not have the best last moments."

"We'll… start with the easy ones," Chara said. She retrieved the jars of Toriel and Asgore. She opened them and poured their dust on the flowers. She filled a syringe with determination.

Her hand trembled as she held the syringe over Toriel's flower.

Frisk grabbed Chara's hand.

"We killed them together. We will bring them back together."

Chara nodded, and together they injected the flower with determination.

Nothing happened.

"It'll take a few moments," Asriel said.

Frisk and Chara nodded. In the meantime, they injected Asgore's flower too.

Eventually, a face appeared on Toriel's flower.

"Wh-what?"

Chara spoke to her. "Mom, it's me. Can you hear me?"

"Oh, Chara! Did you eat the chocolate?"

Chara immediately burst into tears. "I'M SO SORRY, MOM!"

"It's okay, my child. I will always… love… you…? I… I don't…"

"Mom," Asriel said. "It's me, Asriel."

"Asriel?" Toriel seemed to understand. "Oh, so this is what Chara was talking about. I'm so sorry! This is awful!"

"Yes. Yes it is."

"I'm not giving up on you!" Chara declared. "Please, Mom. Try to live, for me."

"O-okay… for you, my child."

Toriel noticed Frisk. "Oh, Frisk. You and Chara are both here. Then…"

"Everything's going to be okay," Frisk said.

"I hope so," Toriel said.

Asgore's flower came to life.

"Huh? I thought Chara…"

"Oh, YOU'RE here," Toriel complained. "Did my sweet, innocent Chara kill you too?"

"Uh… yeah," Asgore said. He looked around and saw Frisk and Chara. "If you're both here, then…" Asgore laughed heartily. "It worked! Chara, you're back to your old self! I'm so… so…"

"You are, Dad," Chara said. "You just can't feel it right now."

Everyone was at a loss for words.

Frisk began to cry.

This was supposed to be a happy moment.

"I… I need a minute." Frisk said. He left for his room.

No, Chara was supposed to be the one like this. She followed Frisk to their room.

* * *

Frisk went into his room, unable to look at Mom and Dad in their current state. Chara followed him.

"Oh, Chara…" Frisk hugged her for his own comfort. "This is so horrible! They can't feel anything."

Chara hugged Frisk back. "They'll be okay."

"How did you get through this, Chara?"

"I didn't. You know what I did."

Frisk wiped away his tears. "Are we doing the right thing? Would it be better if we just let them rest?"

"Honestly? I don't really know," Chara replied. "But I can't give up on them. As long as there is even the slightest chance of saving them, I'll take it."

Frisk managed to smile. "You're so brave, Chara."

Chara blushed. "Aw, Frisk, not now. We have work to do."

"Right."

Frisk and Chara went back to the living room. They revived Papyrus and Sans next.

Papyrus came to life. "Uh… what's going on? I'm… a flower now…?"

"AWESOME!"

Sans came to life. "So… apparently we're flowers now…?"

"I KNOW! ISN'T IT GREAT?"

"Hey, Papyrus."

"YEAH?"

"What do you call a Flower Papyrus?"

"Oh no…"

"Floweyrus!"

"I TAKE IT BACK! A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF HELL HAS OPENED!"

Sans looked around and saw everyone else. He looked at Toriel.

"Hey, Tori. Frisk has been a bad kid, hasn't he? I guess you haven't been raising him right. What do you think the _root_ of this problem is?"

"Ha, well, it was really Chara."

Sans looked at Chara. "Hmm? That's Chara? She's the one who was controlling Frisk?"

"Uh… greetings," Chara nervously said.

Frisk could see that Sans was barley holding back his anger.

"Please, Sans," Toriel said. "Don't hurt her."

Sans sighed. "If you say so."

"Thank you, Sans," Chara said. "I swear, I'm not the demon you once knew."

"Don't push it, kid," Sans warned. Chara backed away.

"Sans…" Frisk said. "You were right. She really did change."

The expression on Sans's face suggested that he never actually believed it would happen.

"Hey, Papyrus…" Sans said.

"Yeah…?"

Once again, there was awkward silence as Sans and Papyrus realized that they no longer felt anything for each other.

"Um…" Frisk said. "Let's revive the rest now."

Frisk and Chara revived Monster Kid.

"Oh my God, my parents are gonna kill me… not that I care."

Chara picked up the last jar, the jar of Undyne and Alphys.

"Well, crap," Chara groaned. "Alphys just had to die on top of her."

"I guess we'll just have to revive them into one flower," Frisk stated.

Chara nodded. They poured their dust onto a flower and injected it with a double dose of determination.

"Careful," Asriel warned. "Undyne was fighting when she died."

Frisk and Chara braced themselves.

"NGAHH! I WON'T DIE!" She looked around and became extremely confused. "WHERE THE HELL AM I?" She became aware of herself. "WHAT THE HELL AM I?"

"Undyne…" Frisk tried to console her. "It's okay now. The war's over."

"YOU!" Undyne struggled to prepare a magic attack. "DIE!"

"NO, UNDYNE!" Chara yelled. "I'm the one you want! It wasn't Frisk! It was me!"

"Chara…" Frisk whispered.

Undyne looked at Chara. "Ha… HAHAHA! I KNEW IT! I KNEW FRISK WOULDN'T DO IT! But you… whatever you are… DIE!"

Undyne struggled to adapt to her new body and formed a crude but massive spear with her flower magic. She sent it flying toward Chara.

Again, Frisk tried to take the hit for Chara, but Chara was ready this time. She ran straight into the spear before Frisk could. She fell to the floor, and a large pool of blood formed. She lost consciousness.

Frisk's SOUL stopped. This couldn't have been happening.

Frisk sobbed. "C-Chara…? No… I… I d-didn't… come all this w-way… j-just to see you… d-die like this."

He knew that Chara had been brought back before, but he had a terrible feeling that it would not be possible this time.

"What's wrong, Frisk?" Undyne asked. "I just avenged everyone!"

"Undyne… you don't understand."

"Oh, you ARE a traitor after all? IS THAT IT?" Undyne prepared another attack. "If you like her so much, then die with her!"

That didn't sound like a bad idea…

"Undyne…" Monster Kid said. "This isn't you. You only beat up bad people."

"U-Undyne!" Alphys said from the same body as Undyne. "M-maybe we should… hear Frisk out first."

"Alphys…?" Undyne seemed to calm down slightly. She lowered her spear.

"Frisk!" Toriel yelled. "Bring me to Chara!"

Frisk did so immediately.

"This flower body… it's filled with a powerful energy, even more powerful than magic." Toriel concentrated. "If I can just adapt my healing magic to use this power… yes!"

A green light emitted from Toriel, and Chara's wound healed.

Frisk hugged Toriel. 'Th-thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Of course, my child."

"Why, Toriel?" Undyne asked.

"How can you even care?" Sans asked.

"What?" Toriel retorted. "Just because I can't feel, I shouldn't help anyone? Is that my only motivation to do the right thing, because it pleases me? No. That would be selfish."

Asriel looked sad. That must have hit hard for him.

Chara woke up. Frisk held her.

"Chara, don't scare me like that!"

"Hey, you did it first."

"I was fine! You almost died!"

Chara smiled. "Well, you are a higher LV than me."

Frisk laughed. "Hey, maybe next time, we should just… you know… dodge the attacks… like we normally do."

"Haha… yeah. I guess that would be smart."

Frisk stared deep into Chara's eyes. "Chara… I don't want to lose you."

She returned his gaze. Her red eyes were so beautiful. Frisk never wanted to see the life drain out of them.

"I _can't_ lose you, Frisk."

"OH… MY… GOD!" Undyne and Alphys both yelled.

Frisk and Chara immediately let go of each other. Both of their faces turned bright red.

"Oh… my children…" Toriel said.

"Well, whatever makes you two happy," Asgore said.

"I… I don't…" Papyrus muttered.

"Kid… that's a little too close, don't you think?" Sans asked.

"Ew…" Monster Kid said.

"What… the… HELL?!" Undyne shouted.

"…I ship it…" Alphys admitted.

"Oh… We interrupted you, didn't we? Sorry… You can keep going… if you want…" Napstablook offered.

 _Damn it, Napstablook._

* * *

While Asriel explained the situation to everyone, Frisk and Chara took Toriel and Asgore to their room and discussed… something else.

"So…" Chara told her parents. "As you can tell, Frisk and I are… uh… a thing now. I know that seems a little weird, since we are sort of siblings. But, I mean, it's not like we are biological siblings, and we weren't even raised together! We just sort of… decided to be adopted by the same parents at some point in our lives."

This was getting embarrassing fast.

"Chara…" Frisk whispered. "Change the subject."

"What? You want me to bring up all the people I've killed?"

"Okay… just… talk about anything else."

"We're also a little young…" Chara told her parents.

"Chara…"

"B-but… not THAT young! I mean, we ARE old enough to… uh… you know… feel attractions toward each other."

It was true. The mere sight of Chara filled Frisk with a powerful desire.

This was so embarrassing.

"Well…" Toriel finally spoke. "Frisk, I'm amazed you can feel that way about Chara after… you know. When Asgore started his own plan to destroy humanity… I could never fully forgive him. What he did is no better than what Chara did. The only difference is that my dear Chara happened to be more successful. You can't fault someone for being successful, can you?"

How could Toriel say such a thing? It must have been because she was soulless.

Asgore looked sad.

"We tried too," Toriel continued. "But things just weren't the same. Now, I guess there really is no chance at all, is there?"

"Mom…" Chara said. "You're going to make me cry again."

"Aw, I'm sorry dear." Toriel smiled and lifted Chara off the ground with her vines.

"Mom? Haha."

"Do you need Frisk to make you feel better? Here." Toriel picked up Frisk too. She brought him right up to Chara.

"M-mom?" Frisk stammered.

Toriel grabbed Frisk's arms and made him hug Chara. "There, that's better, right?"

"M-mom…" Chara said. "Uh… we don't really want to act like this in front of you…"

"Really? You looked like you were about to do more, earlier..." She didn't sound like she was joking. Going soulless must have cost her some sensitivity.

"N-no!" Frisk asserted.

"Haha, well, alright." Toriel put Frisk and Chara down. They took a moment to recover from the embarrassment.

"Um…" Frisk said. "I'm going to check on the others now."

"Uh… yeah," Chara agreed.

"Wait, one more thing!" Toriel said. "You both still have wounds. Let me heal them."

Chara s wound on her hand was still there, and Frisk still had the wound on his arm.

Toriel tried to use her magic to heal the wounds, but nothing happened.

"Even with this power…" Toriel said.

"It's okay, Mom," Chara assured her. "They're not that bad."

"We really should check on the others now," Frisk said.

"Well, okay! See you later my children… that love each other."

Frisk and Chara ran out of the room.

* * *

Frisk and Chara helped Asriel finish explaining everything. When they were done, Undyne glared at Frisk.

"So, Frisk. This person killed us all. She started a war, and you forgave her… because she felt BAD?"

"It's not that simple, Undyne!" Frisk shouted. "It wasn't her fault!"

"Well," Sans said. "You're right about one thing. It's your fault, too."

"Sans…"

"You killed us all, just to save one person. And that person… was a murderer."

"Please…"

"YOU BETRAYED US, FRISK!" Undyne shouted. "You made your choice long ago! You choose to save HER, over US!"

"No, that's not…"

"HEY!" Asriel yelled. "What about YOU?! YOU are the one who led the monsters into battle! Chara may have been the demon, but it was you who gave in to the demon's temptation!"

Undyne scowled at Asriel. "Don't you dare try to blame this on me. This is all their doing."

"Was it Chara who killed you? No, it was the humans that YOU attacked."

"What about Toriel, Papyrus, Monster Kid, and all the others she killed? What did they do to deserve this? And why were we brought back? Just so we could suffer more?"

"Undyne..." Frisk said. "We want to help you... We miss you all so much..."

Alphys laughed bitterly. "Maybe you should have thought about that before killing us."

"Alohys..."

"There's no saving us, you know that, right? SOUL power can only be taken from what was once living, so what are you going to do, Frisk? Kill more people and take their SOULs to save us? I would never accept someone else's SOUL!"

"There must be a way..."

"NO, FRISK!" Undyne yelled. "You and Chara killed us. Now you have to live with that."

"Undyne..."

"She IS the perfect ship for you!"

"Alphys…"

"You're a bad person!"

"Monster Kid…"

"You were never my friend."

"Sans..."

"I no longer believe in you."

"Papyrus…"

Undyne clumsily summoned a spear. "It's time to finish this!"

Asriel smoothly raised his vines. "You sure about that? I've been this way for much longer than you have!"

Chara grabbed her knife. "I didn't bring you back just to kill you again... but I won't let you hurt Frisk!"

"Please, no more fighting!" Frisk pleaded.

Undyne growled. She looked at the others. "Let's get out of here." She jumped to the window. Sans, Papyrus, and Monster Kid followed.

"We WILL kill you!" Undyne shouted at Frisk, Chara, and Asriel.

The four flowers jumped out the window.

Frisk's eyes sparkled with tears.

"Frisk…" Chara tried to console him.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Frisk shoved her to the ground.

"F-Frisk…"

"YOU MADE THEM HATE ME!"

Chara closed her eyes.

"Yes, Frisk. I did, and it's all my fault."

She drew her knife.

"Thank you, Frisk. I just needed to hear you say it…"

Time slowed to a crawl.

"CHARA! NO!"

Frisk grabbed her wrist just before the blade reached her.

"Why, Frisk? Admit it. You hate me… SAY IT! YOU HATE ME!"

"No, Chara! I'll never hate you!"

She kept struggling to impale herself. Frisk couldn't hold on much longer.

Asriel reached out his vines and helped Frisk.

"Brother… please… let me die."

"Don't do this, Chara!"

"Why not? I've killed so many. Now, it's my turn."

"My child!" Toriel and Asgore helped Frisk and Asriel. "Stop this, please!"

"Stop... this...?"

Chara's knife fell harmlessly onto the ground.

Frisk held her like her life depended on it; it probably did.

"I'M SO SORRY, CHARA! I DIDN'T MEAN TO PUSH YOU AWAY!"

"I… I'm sorry, Frisk. I'm a coward!"

"We'll never hate you, Chara." Asriel said. "We're your family."

Chara started crying.

"Please forgive me, Chara!" Frisk begged. "It was just a shock, seeing them so angry. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I wasn't myself."

"You're too good for me, Frisk."

Frisk held on even tighter. "I'll never push you away again! I need you, Chara. I need you! If you die, the one thing I've gained from all this will be lost."

Chara's tears fell on the floor. "I'm sorry. How could I ever believe that you would hate me?"

Frisk took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I can't stress this enough: we share this burden. They're right to hate me. I'm responsible too."

"We don't hate you." Toriel assured them.

"Mom…"

"I can't truly love you right now," Toriel said. "But I certainly don't hate you. I really wish I could feel something about this. I can see this is an emotional moment."

They may have been missing a few SOULs, but despite everything, the Dremurr family was finally whole again.

"Mom," Chara said, "I'm so sorry. I've been a terrible child. Not just to you, to everyone."

"I was too, Chara," Asgore said. "Err… a bad adult, that is."

"Did we do the right thing?" Chara asked. "The others hate us."

"They're not themselves," Toriel asserted.

Chara sobbed. "What have I done?"

"Well," Asriel said. "I'm not giving up! I believe that you will find a way to cure me one day, and even if you don't, at least you tried."

"Brother…" Chara said. "Thank you."

"Yes," Frisk agreed. "Honestly, I needed to hear that."

"In any case," Asriel said. "We can't worry about that right now. We need to find them."

Unfortunately, there was nothing Frisk or Chara could do. They could have gone anywhere. It would have been far too dangerous to search for them while they themselves were being hunted.

Asriel gave them an understanding look. "Don't worry, I'll find them."

"…I can look too… if you want me to." Napstablook offered.

"Thanks!" Frisk said. "I'm sorry we can't do anything."

"That's what family is for, Frisk." Asriel and Napstablook left to search for the others.

Frisk looked at Chara.

"Well, I need to fulfill my end of the bargain now." He looked at his parents. "Take care of her for me."

"Of course," Toriel said.

"What?" Chara asked. "I'm coming with you!"

"No, Chara! You'll attract too much attention!"

"But, you said…"

"This is different! You would only endanger us both!"

Oh… that came off a little harsh.

Chara sighed. "…Okay."

Frisk held Chara's cheek. "Hey…" He gave her a goodbye kiss. "That won't be our last, okay?"

"You... you can take care of yourself, Frisk."

"Yes, but I will always want your help." Frisk put on a blue hooded jacket. "I'll be back soon."

"...See you later, Frisk."

* * *

 **"Tra la la. Humans, monsters... Flowers."**

 **-River Person**


	16. SOULs and Essences

**AN: Welcome to the exposition chapter!**

 **I didn't forget about Mettaton, by the way. Mettaton didn't turn to dust, so he's a special case. Maybe Alphys can do something about that...**

 **Not to mention several minor characters that were ignored, but perhaps they should focus on the ones they've already revived first.**

* * *

Frisk went to Grillby's, hiding behind his hood and careful to avoid being noticed. It was easier without Chara. There was much less suspicion when he was alone, and Chara was the one they really wanted. Frisk made it to Grillby's without incident.

At least, he thought he did.

One day, Frisk hoped that he could just go somewhere with Chara without fear, but that was not today.

Frisk went inside Grillby's. The crowd was sparse, as if they were afraid that Chara might show up again. Frisk looked at the bar and saw Purple talking to Green.

Green saw Frisk come in. "Oh, hi Frisk!"

Frisk walked up to the bar. "Hey, not so loud…"

"Oh, right. Sorry."

Purple whispered to Frisk. "After our little discussion, I realized that I had to handle this myself. Don't worry, I'll still honor our deal. However, if you would like to be my 'wingman' as they say, that would be appreciated."

"Uh… sure."

"So, Frisk, what brings you here?" Green asked.

"Um… just wanted to say 'hi.'"

Green gave a look of disbelief. "This is a big risk for that."

"Heh… well…"

"I asked Frisk to come," Purple interrupted.

"What for?"

"For… um… help… with you…"

Wow, Purple was brave.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

"I… I know… but that's why I'm here now. I realized that we need to work this out ourselves."

"There's nothing more to talk about! You're working for a murderer, Purple!"

"Murderer?" Frisk asked.

"You really don't know?" Green asked back.

"No."

"So," Purple said. "You really don't know about Gaster…"

"Who's Gaster?"

"Gaster is the one who gave Chara her new SOUL. He also revived me, Green, and the others. He is the one who orchestrated the plan to stop Chara. We owe him everything."

"We owe him nothing!" Green interrupted. "He may have helped this timeline, but at what cost to others? He only works in his own interests. He's just using us!"

"We don't know that, Green."

Frisk was confused. "Slow down… you're losing me."

"Frisk," Green said. "Where do you think all that determination in the lab came from? It couldn't have all come from this world. Gaster is scattered across multiple timelines, and he harvests them for SOULs and determination. He's evil!"

"It's not that simple, Green." Purple argued. "First, 'harvesting' is a harsh way of putting it. It's more like 'salvaging.' Second, he's trying to unlock the secrets to the very nature of SOULs and Essences. When his work is complete, he will be able to revive any Essence, human OR monster." Purple looked at Frisk. "He will be able to, truly, revive your friends."

Frisk felt torn. This man sounded ruthless, yet, his work could give their friends new SOULs. But, at what cost?

Well, no harm in asking…

"Hey," Frisk told Purple. "Can you tell me about your research?"

Purple was usually fairly stoic, but that question made her beam. "I'm glad you asked!"

* * *

As you know, this world is inhabited by two sapient races: humans and monsters. Both races have three main components: the body, the SOUL, and the Essence. The body is a being's outermost layer. For humans, it is entirely physical, but for monsters, it is mostly but not entirely magical. Both bodies are powered by the SOUL. Without a SOUL, a body cannot run properly. Finally, the Essence, the core of one's existence, is stored within the SOUL.

Gaster's research is focused on how to restore broken bodies and SOULs. In the case of a human, this process is fairly simple. If a human's body dies, but the SOUL remains, all one has to do is return the SOUL to the body and inject it with determination. For this to work, the body must be in good condition (you know, aside from being… well… dead). Our resurrections were possible because our bodies were preserved. If the SOUL is shattered, things get slightly trickier, but still feasible. When this happens, the Essence within the SOUL transfers to the body, and it will only do this if it retains the will to live. Otherwise, it will be lost forever. If the Essence survives, then the body must be given a new SOUL, preferably one not bounded to another Essence. A human body needs a human SOUL to function, and a monster body needs a monster SOUL to function.

Alternatively, you could, as you've seen, store the Essence in another body that is neither human nor monster and allow it to run on raw determination, but you are more than familiar with the shortcomings of this approach. A soulless Essence is incapable of feeling positive emotions such as love or compassion. You see, the reason for this is while the SOUL is a source of power, these emotions function as a sort of control mechanism. The human SOUL is capable of outputting a tremendous amount of power, so compassion, the desire not to abuse such power, keeps the SOUL's destructive potential in check. The more one engages in destructive acts such as killing, the more a SOUL is conditioned to override this safety. This ability to ignore compassion is measured in the LOVE scale, from "1" to "20" where "1" indicates total control and "20" indicates a SOUL running at full power.

While it is possible for monsters to engage this override, it is much more difficult. Monsters' magical bodies have a difficult time handling the stress of determination. In theory, a monster SOUL could actually become just as strong as a human SOUL; they're just more inhibited than human SOULs. In order to protect themselves, monsters' SOULs have a much stronger impulse on compassion. Without this control, a monster's body could melt, like what you've seen with the amalgamates. In extreme cases, they would fade away completely. The monsters' belief that their SOULs are made of love is not entirely inaccurate. It is highly difficult for them to feel genuine hatred. Even when you and Chara were committing genocide, very few monsters were able to truly hate you.

The magical nature of monster bodies has proven to be a major complication in our work. Its difficult just to get a monster SOUL out of a body. Unlike human SOULs, monster SOULs cannot usually live outside of its body, but with the right tools, it can be done. However, no good monster would be willing to just take someone else's SOUL, which is why we need to find a way to create a SOUL with no Essence.

You may be wondering why we can't just give monsters a human SOUL. While monsters can absorb human SOULs into their bodies, they cannot store their Essence inside a human SOUL. Human SOULs and monster Essences are just not compatible. Therefore, while monsters can use human SOULs as a source of raw power, they cannot use them to sustain their body or feel emotions.

It is not difficult to create a new SOUL. You know, the old-fashioned way. The problem, of course, is that these new SOULs have Essences. Gaster theorized that if an Essenceless SOUL were to reproduce, it would create an Essenceless SOUL, and he was right. Gaster created new unbounded human SOULs by forcing SOUL reproduction. Unfortunately, there is a problem for monsters. Once a SOUL has been bounded to an Essence and activated, it requires its Essence to survive, unless the SOUL has reached LV 20. Only at full power can an active SOUL be detached from its Essence and become independent. Relatively speaking, it wasn't too difficult to acquire LV 20 human SOULs, but a monster would melt into nothingness long before reaching that kind of power.

However, this timeline has proven to be interesting. The betrayal of you and Chara has stirred an unprecedented amount of hate within the monsters. Perhaps with all this hatred…

* * *

Frisk was listening with great interest. "What do you mean?"

"Well… this war could bring out the worst in monsters. If this gets bad, maybe… just maybe.. a monster could survive to LV 20."

Frisk didn't like that. "I don't want it to come to that."

"I know, Frisk. We need to do everything we can to keep this from getting worse, but... if it does..."

"I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!"

"Ah, I'm awake! No need to yell!" Green, who was sleeping during Purple's lecture, insisted.

Purple looked nervous. "I... I understand. We're trying to find another way."

Frisk was desperate to do something. "…Hey… let me help…"

"Frisk… what could you do? You don't know anything about…"

"LET ME HELP!"

Purple and Green gave him concerned looks. Frisk realized that his anger was getting to him again.

Frisk thought about what Purple said about LOVE and the SOUL's ability to hate. He may not have actually been the one to do it, but his SOUL was a very high LV now. Frisk realized that he was becoming more prone to anger. He had already yelled at his beloved Chara on two separate occasions, and one had almost gotten her killed. _Only if it retains the will to live,_ Purple had said. Chara's suicide really would have been permanent. He had to be careful.

"S-sorry…" Frisk apologized.

"I know, Frisk," Purple said. "Hey… if you really want to help… Gaster will find you. He'll explain things more."

"Th-thank you!"

"Frisk…" Green said. "Please, be careful. Remember what I said about him."

"Green…" Purple said. "I'm just..."

Green sighed. "Purple... I know you're just trying to do what you think is best, but you have to understand that Gaster is dangerous."

"I know, Green. If he ever tries anything I don't like, I won't let him."

"But... can you?"

"I..."

"That's it! I'm coming with you!"

"Green!"

Green looked at Grillby. "You understand, right?"

Grillby nodded. "Business has been slow anyway."

"S-sorry about that," Frisk apologized.

"Green..." Purple said. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Get hurt? What are you talking about? You said Gaster was on our side."

"Well... um... I just worry about you."

"That's why I'm coming with you!"

"...Okay, Green."

Green and Purple hugged.

It seemed that Frisk's work was done. Seeing those two like that made Frisk anxious to get back to Chara.

"Well," Frisk said. "I should head back before Chara worries about-"

…And of course the Royal Guard kicked open the door right at that moment.

"Um..." Green said. "Couldn't you have done that, like, two hours earlier?"

They weren't in the mood for jokes.

There were two of them: Robin, and the Captain herself, a tall skeleton named Lucida.

Lucida turned Frisk's SOUL blue. She sent Frisk flying towards her and grabbed him by the neck.

"I'm only going to ask once. Where. Is. The Demon?"

She was strong. Frisk was struggling to breathe.

"There… is… no… demon." Frisk croaked.

Lucida slammed Frisk's face against the wall.

This wasn't right. Monsters didn't fight like this; they used magic. Aside from a little help from blue mode, Lucida's attacks were mostly physical, and they hurt.

Lucida grabbed Frisk's neck again and gave him a deathly stare.

"Let him go!" Green shouted. He readied his pan.

"Unhand Frisk, now!" Purple opened her notebook.

"Humans," Lucida snarled. "You're all the same."

"Hey," Grillby said. "If you don't let Frisk go… you're gonna have a bad time… It sounds so much cooler when he says it."

"Grillby? You too? Where's your interpreter?"

"I can speak for myself."

"Captain Lucida," Robin whispered. "Maybe we should just leave."

"Don't worry, I'll take out Grillby and you can just…"

Robin pointed at Purple's notebook.

"…Fine. This isn't over, Demon Lover!" Lucida threw Frisk to the ground and left. Robin turned to look at Frisk for a second before following her.

Frisk was confused. Just the other day, Robin seemed to hate Chara just as much as anyone, now it almost seemed as if he was on their side.

Also, _Demon Lover?_ Seriously? It wasn't THAT obvious, was it?

Purple could tell what Frisk was thinking. "Yes, Frisk. It's pretty obvious."

"Actually," Green said. "After meeting you, Robin went around telling everyone about how you two clearly love each other."

"Wh-what?"

"Yeah, it seems you and Chara actually left a positive impression on him (somehow). Unfortunately, everyone else just hates you even more now."

Frisk laughed in his head. Did Chara's wrath just have that effect on people? Come to think of it, she _was_ pretty cute when she was angry… but also terrifying.

"Okay, I really need to get out of here now," Frisk said.

Frisk headed back home.

* * *

 **"...Good job."**

 **-Grillby in the True Pacifist Ending**

 **Yes, Grillby can speak. He's just normally too _cool_ for it.**


	17. Grinder

Frisk reached Napstablook's apartment building. The sun was setting. He checked for anyone watching him, and was startled to see Robin right behind him.

"R-Robin? How did you…?"

Robin learned close to Frisk and whispered.

"They just found out where you live. They're coming for you. You have to get out of here."

"What? But… why are you telling-"

Robin ran away.

This was bad, but Frisk was grateful that Robin had warned him, even though he wasn't sure why.

Frisk no longer bothered with stealth. He ran straight into the apartment, almost scaring Chara to death.

"Frisk, what's wrong?" Chara saw Frisk's bruised face. "Who did this to you?! You will get an apology!"

"Chara! We have to leave! They know we're here!"

The color drained from Chara's normally rosy cheeks. She immediately grabbed Toriel and Asgore and put them in her dimensional box. They didn't even have a chance to complain.

Frisk heard sirens. He grabbed Chara's hand and led her out the fire exit. They climbed down and sprinted through the alleyways as quickly yet quietly as they could, ignoring their bodies' demands to stop. The sound of sirens faded into the distance. They finally took a moment to catch their breath. It was getting dark, which should have helped them.

"What do we have here? Two kids in a creepy alleyway all by themselves? Tsk, tsk."

Out of the shadows, some adult human they had never seen before approached them, with a smile on her face almost as creepy as Chara's.

"No, please…" Frisk whispered. He was still panting from all the running.

"Hmm… you're running away from those sirens, aren't you? Looks like nobody will even mind then." The woman pulled out a knife.

She must have been a "grinder," someone who kills solely to gain EXP and LOVE.

Toriel and Asgore tried to come out of the box, but Frisk slammed it shut and locked it. Their deaths would mean the destruction of their Essences, and there would be no bringing them back from that.

Chara drew her own knife. "Just try it!"

"Oh? You're grinders too, aren't you? And at such a young age! What a shame! You could have been great!"

"Please, stop!" Frisk pleaded.

"Stop? Even if I wanted too, how could I stop? I'm a wanted criminal. Nobody would ever forgive me!"

The grinder stabbed at Chara, but Chara was quick. She dodged the attack and countered with a stab of her own, but the grinder was quick too.

The whole situation was all too familiar to Frisk.

"Just stop!" Frisk begged. "Power isn't everything!"

The grinder laughed. "Don't play dumb with me, kid! I can sense it. All the EXP you've earned. You're almost there! You're LV 19! But the girl, she doesn't have any EXP! You must be trying to train her! You like your love with LOVE, don't you? How cute! But if you actually care about her, then you better help her!" Chara attacked again, but the grinder caught Chara's hand. Chara struggled, but the grinder was too strong. She took Chara's knife away.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Chara screamed.

Another knife appeared in Chara's hand. Chara… knew magic?

Chara slashed at the grinder furiously, but it was only a magic knife. Chara's LV was too low to do any meaningful damage. She could only make minor scrapes on the grinder's body.

The grinder laughed at Chara's futile efforts. "Magic, huh? Impressive! Magic is something of a lost art these days, but all the best grinders learn it!" The grinder turned Chara's SOUL blue and slammed her into the ground.

"Your boyfriend must have trained you well," the grinder said. "I see great potential in you! Too bad he didn't pick an easier first target for you!" The grinder raised her knife.

Frisk had to do it. He pulled out something he had been hiding and stuck it inside the grinder's back.

"Ha…haha… you will make it kid. You still have a long way to 20, but I'm sure you'll do great!" The grinder fell to the ground laughing and coughing blood.

Frisk dropped his bloody dagger in horror. He didn't mean to kill her. He just wanted to get her away from Chara.

But, she wasn't dead quite yet. She took one last stab at Frisk, but Chara retrieved her real knife and stabbed her wrist just before she could stab Frisk.

The grinder coughed up more blood. "Not bad! You may be worthy of him after all!"

The grinder recognized Chara. "Oh! You're the Demon! How did I not notice? I guess it's hard to imagine you at LV 1. Heh, well, that's about to change! Killed by the Demon, Chara, and her lover, Frisk! What an honor! You two… are perfect for each other!"

Her SOUL was about to shatter.

"Hey, what's your name?" Chara asked her.

"Like to keep score, huh? Heh. It's… Annie."

Annie's SOUL shattered.

But… was it permanent? Frisk looked closely at the SOUL's remains and saw something. It was difficult to make out, but he could see something resembling an ember of flame floating over Annie's body. And then… he heard a voice.

"Killed by two of the best grinders in history. I couldn't ask for a better ending!"

The Essence flickered, and then it faded away like a flame being extinguished. Annie was gone forever.

Chara looked at Annie's corpse.

"Annie, huh? That's… a nice name."

Chara looked at her knife.

"Toriel, Papyrus, Monster Kid, Mettaton, Sans, Asgore… Annie."

Frisk sobbed.

"Frisk…"

"I… I killed her, Chara." Annie's blood was all over his hands.

"No, I did." It was all over her hands too.

"No, you just finished what I started."

"She was a murderer, Frisk."

"So was I."

"…So was I."

Frisk started at the grinder's corpse. It brought back horrible memories.

"Chara… I never told about my history."

"Frisk?"

"I lived as an orphan most of my life. My parents were killed by one of these grinders. I was devastated, but… I swore that I would never become like them. I would never become obsessed with power. Instead, I would always try to help people, no matter what. When I learned about Mount Ebott, I saw an opportunity to help an entire race. If I could have just gotten six people to help, we could have freed them all, but… nobody came. I had to go all alone. In the end, I ended up becoming exactly what I swore not to. I abused my power to RESET, and I killed everyone just to get stronger, exactly like the one who killed my parents."

"Frisk… that was different."

"Was it?"

"Frisk…"

Chara slapped Frisk. Hard.

"OW! What the-"

"I killed your friends! I killed our parents! Without any intention of bringing them back! And you forgave me! So, forgive yourself for killing one murderer! Think of all the people you saved by killing her! You're not a grinder, Frisk! You never were!"

"But… how do I know that Annie wasn't someone else's Chara?"

Chara handed Frisk his dagger. "You don't. But, you can't solve everything by being nice, Frisk."

"Chara…" Frisk took back his dagger and held it. "Soon after the war ended, I got this… just in case. I had no intention of protecting myself with it, only you, Chara, and only if absolutely necessary."

The wound on Frisk's arm started bleeding again.

Chara put her hand on his shoulder."Frisk, promise me. If you have to use that dagger to save yourself, you will."

"I'm sorry, Chara. I can't promise that." Frisk didn't want to leave her, but… how many more would die because of them?

Chara sighed. She hugged him, ignoring his bleeding arm.

"See, Frisk? You're still too nice."

Frisk hugged her back. "She wasn't you, Chara. You always believed you were doing the right thing; she was just a killer."

Chara didn't respond.

Frisk couldn't stand seeing Chara sad. He wanted to see her smile. He kept talking. "Back when we met, when you agreed to help me, I was so relived. I dedicated myself to helping others, but… nobody ever really helped _me_ until I went to the underground. You were the first one to come to my aid. Thank you, Chara."

Chara smiled and folded her arms "Oh, so I'm useful to you."

There it was. Frisk smiled back. "Well, I guess it helps that you're so cute, too."

Chara giggled. "Ah, Frisk. Always a flirt." She took his hand. "Come on, we need to keep moving."

"Right." Frisk gladly held Chara's hand.

He really did love her. It occurred to him that he hadn't told her yet. He would have to do that soon.

He hoped she would believe him.

Frisk knew that nobody else could feel this way about someone like her, but he knew that she was a good person, an amazing person. Anyone else would have given up a long time ago carrying the burden that she carried. She was just in a lot of pain, and he had to help her.

"Um… where are we going, anyway?" Chara asked.

He hadn't really thought about that. All he was thinking about was getting Chara as far away as possible. "I don't really know."

"Hmm… how about Mount Ebott?"

"Ah, good idea."

Careful to avoid being seen by anyone else, they left for Mount Ebott.

* * *

Chara and Frisk snuck out of Ebott City and reached Mount Ebott. They went inside.

Frisk called Asriel.

"Asriel, they found us. Do NOT go back to the apartment. We're back… you know where." Frisk didn't say more, just in case they were being tapped. That was unlikely though. Precautions had been taken.

"Damn, I'll be there soon." He hung up.

The underground was a big place. A big and empty place. The perfect place to hide.

It was getting late.

"Hey, Chara, want to spend the night in your old house?" Frisk asked.

"Okay," Chara said. It was close to the entrance, so it was convenient. At this point, the memories wouldn't sadden her too much.

They quickly reached the house and went inside. The whole place was empty. All the furniture had been moved to the new house in Really New Home. Chara took out Toriel and Asgore and placed them on the floor of the room by the kitchen.

"Dad…" Chara groaned. "Couldn't you have left _something_ behind?"

"Sorry…"

"Surely, the sink is still here at least?"

"I… think so?"

"Good. I need to… wash my hands."

"There was nothing you could have done, my child." Toriel assured her. "She was going to kill you."

"So… it was kill or be killed, huh?"

Frisk gave Chara a worried look.

"Don't worry, Frisk. I'm all dried up right now."

Chara went to the kitchen, and yes, the sink was still there. She washed her hands.

But, the water wouldn't stop running red. She was confused. Why wouldn't it come off? She scrubbed harder, but the blood kept coming. Her pulse elevated. Was she losing her mind? Why wouldn't it stop?! Why couldn't she wash the blood off her hands?

Chara exhaled slowly. It was her wound. The cut on her hand was bleeding again. She removed the bandage and applied a fresh one.

Frisk came in to wash his hands too. Chara was glad he didn't see her panicking earlier.

"I'm so tired, Frisk," she told him.

"Me too, Chara."

"I think I'll need you again tonight."

Frisk sighed. "I'll need you too."

Frisk finished washing his hands. They went to Chara's room, only to remember that the beds were gone.

Chara groaned. "I guess we'll have to sleep on the floor."

But then, Chara had an idea. She headed in the direction of the throne room.

"Hey, where are you going?" Frisk followed her.

Chara ignored him and kept going. She went into the room where the coffins were stored, and they were still there. She looked at the nearest one. It had a red SOUL drawn on it and was engraved with the name _Chara_.

Chara beamed "Yes! Perfect!"

"Chara… you can't be serious…"

Frisk didn't understand. "But, Frisk, we've talked about this. It's so comfortable…"

"I'm not letting you sleep in your own damn coffin!"

"Don't think of it as a coffin! It's just a… weird looking bed."

"You're not dead anymore, Chara!"

"Then, what are you worried about?"

"Well… umm… Come on, you don't even feel a little weird about it?"

"Nope!" In fact, Chara had an idea. She walked up to Frisk and tenderly stroked his cheek.

"Hey, would you like to sleep in my coffin with me?" Chara asked seductively.

Frisk blushed "Ch-Chara? I don't think we'll both fit…"

"It'll be _so_ cozy…" Chara whispered in Frisk's ear.

"U-u-uh… y-yeah… umm… as great as that sounds… ummm… yeah…"

 _Oh, he's so adorable! I'll torture him just a little longer..._

"Aw, come on, Frisk. I don't want to have nightmares."

"Umm… I'll just sleep by your coffin. That should be... close enough... right?"

Chara giggled. "Alright, Frisk."

Chara crawled into her beloved coffin, and Frisk laid down beside it.

It was kind of chilly in the room…

And they had no blankets…

 _Oh, and poor Frisk is lying on the cold, hard floor. I guess I'll stop torturing him now._

"Frisk, I was kidding! You don't have to sleep on the floor. Why don't you sleep in Orange's coffin next to me? I'm sure he won't mind."

Frisk got up and inspected Orange's coffin. He exhaled a sigh of relief when he looked inside. "Oh, thank God!"

But instead of going inside, Frisk walked over Chara and stared down at her. He smiled. "You know what? Let's do it."

Frisk crawled into Chara's coffin.

It was Chara's turn to blush. "F-Frisk…" She was just joking about being in her coffin together. She hadn't expected him to actually do it.

"We can cuddle for a while," Frisk whispered with a smirk on his face.

It was a pretty tight squeeze, but it was actually manageable. Still, there wasn't very much room…

…But Frisk's warmth was so nice…

Frisk laughed "I see what you mean. This is quite comfortable actually."

Chara smiled. "It's a lot more comfortable with you here."

"I'm sure it is…" He wrapped his arms around her, and she did the same.

It really was cozy.

Frisk stared at her with a deep affection in his eyes.

"I love you, Chara."

"Frisk…" He had never actually said that before. She grew flustered. "I… I mean… I… l-love you too, F-Frisk."

"We'll be together forever, won't we?"

"H-hey, that's my line!"

He kissed her lips. "Since when were you the one in control?"

She kissed back. "Never. Are you?"

"No…"

They continued kissing. Frisk's lips felt so good to kiss… She really didn't deserve this.

Chara pulled away from Frisk, and it turned out that she did have more tears to shed. She realized something. "Actually, I… I..." She sobbed. "I don't love you…"

Frisk looked heartbroken. "Wh-what are you saying?"

"I… I mean… if I truly loved you, then how could I have killed everyone you loved?"

Frisk took a deep breath. "Chara… do you love Toriel… and Asgore... and Asriel?"

"I… don't know anymore."

"You love them, and you never stopped loving them. You just fooled yourself into believing that you didn't. I was there, Chara. I could feel the emotions you were holding back."

"But if that's true, then why didn't my love stop me? Why wasn't my love of my family stronger than my hatred of humanity?"

"I think… it WAS the love of your family that really drove you. No, not just your family, the entire monster race. It wasn't because you wanted to kill humans. It was because you wanted to protect monsters. Of course… you did hate humans, but I don't blame you. They never gave you a chance to love them."

Chara was actually feeling a bit better. Did anything Frisk was saying justify her actions? Of course not, but he was so desperate to cheer her up. It was sweet. He really was good at comforting her.

"Well… there is one human that gave me a chance. He loves me… and I love him."

Frisk's face filled with joy, but there was something Chara still didn't understand.

"Why DO you love me, Frisk?" she asked. "How can you? All I've done is hurt others. You're the exact opposite of me."

"No, that's not true. You've always tried to help others. You're just like me."

"N-no… I've killed… I've…"

Frisk placed his palm on Chara's cheek. "I want you to be happy, Chara."

So that was it. Frisk was basically the best person in the world who always wanted to solve everyone's problems, and Chara had no shortage of problems. To him, baggage was probably an asset.

And that was what she loved about him.

She stared into his beautiful silver eyes. Her SOUL was pounding. She didn't deserve what she was about to do, but he did.

"…I want you to be happy too, Frisk."

Chara pulled Frisk's face into hers and began to kiss him deeply, intimately. She brought up her tongue...

Frisk's face lit up red "Chara…"

She stopped. What was she thinking? It was way too soon for that, and she didn't even ask for his permission!

 _Oh, God. I've defiled him!_

Chara grimaced. "S-s-sorry, Frisk! That was too much, wasn't it?"

 _I really am a Demon! A dirty Demon! Every time I try to help someone, I just end up hurting them! And this time, he'll never forgive me!_

Frisk shook his head and smiled. "No… I like it."

 _WH-WH-WHAT?!_

Frisk leaned back in and continued the kiss. Chara gasped when she felt Frisk's tongue, but she held on. The new level of intimacy made her shudder. She closed her eyes and savored Frisk's comforting warmth, and she felt all of her doubt and fear wash away. To Chara, nothing in the world was better than Frisk's love. Tomorrow all the pain would come back, but moments like these gave her a much needed reprieve from all her suffering.

Chara and Frisk kissed like that until they were both exhausted. She again stared into his soothing silver eyes.

"I love you, Frisk."

"I love you, Chara."

"Hey, Frisk?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. No one else would do this. You know that?"

Frisk smiled and held her cheek. "I'm not done saving you yet. Together, we will save everyone else. I don't know how, but we will. And then, we can be happy."

He was so determined. It was breathtaking. "I hope you're right."

"Stay determined, Chara."

"I'll try."

If they failed, at least she would die knowing that someone still loved her.

Before they knew it, they were asleep in the coffin together.

* * *

" **Dirty Charisk shipper."**

 **-Sans (What, he didn't say that?)**

" **That's the trash can. Feel free to visit it anytime."**

 **-Papyrus**


	18. Invaders

"You… have GOT to be kidding me!"

Frisk woke up, shocked to see himself still in the coffin with Chara. Asriel was looking down on them with a disgusted look on his face.

 _Whoa, we actually fell asleep like that._ Frisk felt a little awkward. He quietly got up, careful not to disturb Chara, who was still asleep.

Asriel forcefully grabbed Frisk with his vines and lifted him off the ground. "What did you do to her, Frisk?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER?!" Somehow, Asriel's yelling did not wake up Chara.

"U-uh… we just… kissed…"

Asriel squeezed tighter. "Oh, really? That's it?!"

Frisk blushed. "W-well, if you must know… we… used our… t-tongues…"

Asriel squeezed Frisk tight enough to hurt him. "YOU SICK LITTLE PERVERT!" Asriel made his evil Flowey face. "Hey, why don't I tell Chara about all that flirting you did back underground? I'm sure she would be VERY interested."

"Ha! She saw it! Remember?"

"Y-you... really ARE sick!"

"Hey! Kissing like that was her idea!"

Asriel's figurative jaw dropped. He let Frisk down.

"W-well…" Asriel said. "This whole thing has worked out rather well for you, hasn't it?"

Frisk held back some anger. _No… no it hasn't, but I'll let that slide, since you're soulless._

Asriel still looked a little upset. Frisk tried to assure him it wasn't as bad as it looked. "Asriel… we didn't mean to… fall asleep like that."

"Sure…"

"I'm not lying!"

Asriel sighed. "You two are some seriously messed up kids."

Frisk laughed. "Well, I can't argue with that!"

Frisk gave Asriel a serious look. "Um… there is ONE more thing… I… told her that I love her…"

Asriel looked shocked. "…And…?"

"…She loves me, too…"

Asriel was stunned into silence. Frisk understood that he cared about his sister, but why was he so worked up about this?

Frisk smiled and gave him a lighthearted pat on the top of his face. "Hey, let me show you something…" Frisk turned Asriel toward the coffin and looked at Chara. "Isn't she so cute asleep?"

"…Yes, she is. Even without my SOUL, I can see that."

Frisk stopped smiling. "I'm worried about her, Asriel. You know that wound on her hand? The one that won't heal? I've been thinking about what it means, why it won't heal, and I think… it's because she doesn't want it to heal. Determination only works if you have the will to live, and I think Chara's lost her will to live. She can't forgive herself, and she feels like she deserves to die. I didn't want to believe it at first, but when we revived my friends, when she tried to kill herself, I knew it was true."

"…Frisk… you have one of those wounds too."

"…Don't worry about me…"

"You're my brother, Frisk."

Frisk gave a small laugh. The two of them hadn't really thought of each other as brothers. They just didn't have that kind of history, but that had changed. "Yes, I guess we are. We both care about Chara, and I want to protect her. You'll help me, right?"

"Yes, Frisk. I'll never rest until I can see Chara as my true self again."

"Thank you… brother." Frisk hugged his brother.

".,,Haha… just like back then. Except, I don't feel anything."

"You will, brother. One day, we'll make it all right. You, me, Chara, and…"

Frisk noticed something, or rather, the lack of something.

"Hey, where's Napstablook? Shouldn't they have… asked questions by now?"

Frisk found Napstablook's strange interest in his relationship with Chara kind of cute. It was a direct contrast to Asriel's attitude. Asriel fully approved of their relationship at first, but over time, he seemed to gradually grow more irritable about it. Frisk wondered if Asriel was… a bit jealous, or maybe their insufferable affection simply got annoying after a while.

Asriel looked grim. "Frisk… they kind of just found out that Napstablook's apartment was our hideout…"

 _Oh God, NO!_

Frisk dropped to his knees.

"Napstablook…"

Frisk's distress immediately woke up Chara. "Frisk? What's wrong?"

"Oh, NOW you wake up!" Asriel remarked.

Frisk ignored him. "Wh-why did I ever let them get involved?"

Chara quickly figured it out. "No…"

Chara sobbed. "Nobody deserves to get hurt for me. NOBODY!"

"Hey," Asriel said. "I don't actually know what happened to them. They've gone missing. No one can find them."

Frisk laughed. "That's what you do best. Right, Napstablook?"

They could only pray that Napstablook was alright.

"Hey," Chara said to Asriel. "Did you find any of them?"

"Not a trace. However, SOMEONE must have told the Royal Guard our location."

"…I can't blame them." Frisk said. Chara nodded in agreement.

"There's something else," Asriel said. "On my way here, I saw a group of humans traveling nearby."

"Are they…"

"No, they don't look like police or military, but they don't look friendly either. A lot of them too. About a hundred I think."

Could it have been a large clan of grinders? Grinders had a hard time getting along, but it was not unheard of. A group of grinders was commonly referred to as a _clan_ , and the best of them were incredibly dangerous.

Frisk heard something. "Hey…"

"I hear it too," Chara whispered.

It sounded like it was coming from the throne room. They cautiously moved towards it.

Frisk peeked inside. The humans Asriel had mentioned were there. One of them stood where the throne would have been, and the others stood at his attention. Something about him looked familiar. He had a very serious and stoic expression.

He started speaking. "You're all here because you know the truth. You know that until they are wiped out, monsters will always be a threat to humanity. At any moment, war could break out, and all it takes is a few human SOULs for a monster to become godlike. We cannot wait for this petty conflict with the 'Demon' to end. Hell, I would call her a hero, if she wasn't on the wrong side. Chara awakened us all to the true threat monsters pose, the threat of human sympathizers. All it would take is a few foolish humans dumb enough to feel sorry for these things to wipe us all out, but we won't let that happen."

The leader's subordinates began distributing weapons.

"Frisk…" Chara whispered. "That man… don't you think he looks a bit like a grown-up version of yourself?"

Frisk gasped. He did. But, that was impossible, right? It had to be a coincidence. After all, this person was nothing like him.

The humans finished distributing the weapons.

"Today," the leader spoke. "We will begin our quest to save humanity! Near this mountain is a small, pathetic village. Several monsters have taken up residence in it. It apparently holds some kind of special significance to them. We will go there, and exterminate every single one. All humans will be ordered to join us. If they refuse, help yourself to some free EXP!"

Chara's eyes widened. Frisk understood why. That was HER village. Everyone she knew there was probably dead after all those years, and she didn't even have any friends there. Still, Frisk imagined that Chara wouldn't want to just let someone destroy it.

"We have to do something," Chara whispered.

"Don't do anything stupid," Asriel warned.

The leader was wrapping up his speech. "It's time! Let's march! For the future of humanity!"

"Yes, General Frisk!" the crowd chanted.

Cold sweat formed on Frisk's brow. Yeah… this was beyond coincidence.

But…

What the hell?

The militants left for Chara's old village. Frisk, Chara, and Asriel quietly followed.

* * *

They followed the militants outside. They marched toward Chara's old village.

Chara's SOUL raced. She thought she held no love for that place, but the thought of someone else destroying it sickened her. She had tried to destroy it once, and she felt she had a duty to protect it.

The militants reached the village. The gunfire started. Screams rang out. What could they do?

The village shouldn't have been completely defenseless. They were poor, but they were known for their magical talent. That village was the home of the mages who had sealed Mount Ebott inside the barrier. It was one of the few bastions of magic remaining in the human world. Still, magic would only help so much against an army of humans with guns.

Chara looked in the distance and saw a company of the human Army and a Royal Guard squadron patrolling together. They must have been looking for her. They heard the gunfire and ran towards their location.

They saw Chara, and suddenly their priorities changed.

"STOP RIGHT THERE, DEMON!" a human soldier shouted. He trained his gun on her.

Chara put her hands up. "Please, you have to help them."

"YOU CAUSED THAT ATTACK, DIDN'T YOU?"

"No…"

The human commanding officer approached them.

The soldiers saluted. "Major Miller, sir!"

"We'll take care of this," Miller said. "MAGES!"

"Yes, sir!" Armored vehicles drove out to surround the village.

Miller faced them. "As for you three, you are going into custody." He pulled out handcuffs.

Another soldier drew his pistol and aimed at Chara. "Why don't we just get this over with?"

"No, please…" Frisk begged.

Out of nowhere, a ghostly figure appeared between Chara and the soldier.

"You don't want to do that," he said.

"Wh-what the hell?" the soldier said. "Is that an incorporeal?"

"Why not?" Miller calmly asked the ghost.

"The one attacking that village has an extremely powerful SOUL, and these two children here are the only ones who can match him."

Miller scoffed. "Fine, I don't mind working with Frisk, but nobody will trust Chara."

Chara noticed that he called her _Chara_.

"I'm afraid you need them both." the ghost said.

"Do you think I'm an idiot? It doesn't work like that."

The village was surrounded by a bright wall of light. The Army's mages had created a barrier around it.

Miller continued. "The one being with the highest level of determination in there will control the timeline. One person, or nobody at all, will have the power to RESET."

"See for yourself," the ghost said.

Miller turned towards his troops. "I need a DT Specialist over here!"

The soldiers sent for the DT Specialist. Meanwhile, Lucida approached the ghost.

"Gaster…? Is that you?" She sounded like she had just found a long lost loved one.

Gaster did not show even the slightest reaction.

The DT Specialist arrived and scanned Frisk and Chara with some device.

"Major… I've never seen anything like this. Their Essences are… intertwined or something. They can combine their determination, and they are both red SOULs, too. I don't think anything they have will beat this."

Frisk looked confused, but Chara knew exactly what that meant.

Miller sighed. He looked at Lucida. "You know this ghost?"

Lucida nodded. "Dr. Gaster, the best Royal Scientist we've ever had."

A banging sound rang from the barrier.

"Sir!" a mage reported. "That ghost wasn't lying about the enemy's SOUL! We won't be able to hold this for long!"

Miller sighed again. "Looks like we can't wait for reinforcements. I can't believe we are about to rely on a couple of kids, not that you're normal kids." He looked at his army. "Soldiers! You're not going too like this, but I'm afraid this operation will require us to cooperate with Frisk and Chara!"

"Sorry, sir, but what's a 'Chara?'" a soldier asked.

 _Oh, come on!_ _Do they seriously not even know my actual name?_ Chara was appalled. She knew they hated her, but did they have to take away one of her most precious possessions?

"Uh… I believe that's the Demon," another soldier said.

"Wait, what? I thought it was pronounced 'ch' as in 'character.'"

"No, it's pronounced 'ch' as in 'chocolate.'"

"I thought it was pronounced 'Car-uh,'" yet another soldier said.

"I thought it was 'Chair-uh,'" another soldier said.

"It's pronounced 'DEMON!'" another soldier yelled.

Forgetting the context of the situation, Frisk cheerfully exclaimed "I think it's a beautiful name no matter how you-"

Every nearby soldier trained their weapon on Frisk.

"Oh… right…"

"ENOUGH!" Miller handed Frisk a flare gun. "Listen up! You're part of an official military operation now. You will follow our protocol. You and Chara will go in first and assess the situation. This flare gun is loaded with three different colors. Fire the green flare when you confirm you have the power to RESET. If it's a stalemate, fire the yellow flare. Either of these will prompt us to send reinforcements. If the worst happens, and the enemy has the power to RESET, fire the red flare, and the barrier will be destroyed."

"I understand," Frisk said.

"Once we're inside, just sit back and let us handle this. All you need to do is RESET when I tell you to."

Miller handed both Frisk and Chara something else: syringes filled with determination.

"Every time you RESET, it will drain your determination. When that happens, use these to replenish it."

"A mobile SAVE point," Chara said.

"Exactly, but only use it after RESETing. If you overdose on DT, you could melt, just like when a monster tries to use it."

Frisk and Chara nodded.

"One more thing. We need all the intel you have on this enemy force. Who are they? Why are they attacking that village?"

Frisk told him everything they saw, except for the fact that the enemy commander looked like him and was called "Frisk."

Miller looked troubled. "I was afraid something like this would happen. These terrorists must be contained before they restart the war. For convenience, the enemy commander will be referred to as 'Murder.'"

"Murder?" Chara asked. "That's a little on-the-nose, isn't it…?"

Though, it sure as hell beat calling him "Frisk _._ "

"It's exactly what he is." Miller replied. "And what's the deal with you and names? It doesn't matter!"

Chara sighed. "Let's just go."

Chara looked at Asriel. "Brother… please stay here."

"No way! I'm coming with you!"

"But, Asriel…"

"No monsters will enter!" Miller shouted. "Only humans can remember the events before a RESET! Monsters will be slaughtered!"

"But…" Lucida protested.

"This is for everyone's safety!"

"I have determination!" Asriel asserted. "Back in Mount Ebott, I remembered RESETs perfectly!"

Miller inspected him "Hmm… Asriel. You are powerful. You can come."

"Damn it, brother!" Chara cursed. At least Toriel and Asgore were still in New Home.

"Hey, if I die, you can just RESET."

"I'm not letting anything happen to you!"

Frisk placed a hand on Chara's shoulder. "We'll get through this."

Chara sighed. "I hope so."

"Let's move!" Miller ordered.

They marched toward the barrier.


	19. DT Superiority

**AN: So… the Charisk elements may have gotten a little out of hand lately, but don't worry. We are now going back to death and destruction. Yay!**

* * *

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel entered the barrier and saw the village. Frisk couldn't hear any gunfire. The fighting inside had ended. Frisk heard heavy breathing. Chara was losing her nerve.

"Hey," Frisk said. "We can do this."

Chara said nothing, but her breathing steadied a little.

Frisk took a few steps forward and tried something he hadn't done in a long time, something he desperately wished he could do. Sadly, he could only RESET back to the point he entered the barrier, and even if he could, it only affected the flow of time inside the barrier. Time outside the barrier remained unaffected.

Frisk RESET, and everything was where it was a few moments ago. It was successful.

"Did you… um… see that?" Frisk asked.

Asriel and Chara nodded.

"Good. Chara, you try it."

Chara did the same thing as Frisk. It felt a bit different when he wasn't the one doing it. Without warning, everything was in a place it was a few moments ago, but he remembered everything perfectly. It was a bit disorienting.

Asriel noticed Frisk's discomfort. "You get used to it."

"Hey, I didn't RESET that often!"

"Oh, really? Remember Sans?"

"What? It only took me, like, twelve tries."

"Well… I suppose we will need more RESETs than that today."

Frisk looked at the village. "Hey… maybe before calling in the soldiers, we can try… talking to them."

Chara looked at him with a mix of admiration and disbelief. "Frisk… this is why I love you, but… I don't think this one can be resolved peacefully."

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try." Frisk walked towards the village. Asriel and Chara both sighed and followed him.

They snuck inside the village. It was a disturbing sight. There were burnt human corpses everywhere. They must have been burned to prevent any possibility of revival. Frisk couldn't even see any monster dust. He shuddered at the thought of whatever they had done to it. Killing them wasn't enough; they had to erase them from existence permanently. Chara started to hyperventilate again. Frisk couldn't imagine what this was like for her. It was as if the world itself was telling her _look at what you've done._

Asriel tried to calm her down. "Sister… try to stay calm. They'll hear us,"

"This is my village…"

"I know."

"I did this…"

"No, you didn't. THEY did this. People can't blame you for everything they do. You're not an excuse, Chara."

Chara tried to calm down. "Okay…"

Frisk peeked around the corner of a building. He saw one of the terrorists pointing a .50 caliber hand cannon at one of the human villagers.

"It's a simple choice," the terrorist said. "Cooperate, or die."

"I'll never help you! You killed my family! I watched you burn their corpses!"

A gunshot rang out. The villager fell to the ground, and his SOUL shattered.

The terrorist laughed. "I'll be LV 20 in no time!"

Frisk couldn't let the villager die. He RESET a minute back.

"Frisk, no!" Chara shouted.

Frisk ran to the one who was about to kill the villager, but he was already dead. The terrorist looked at Frisk.

"Well, if it isn't 'Frisk.' I don't know how you're beating the General, but no matter. Your determination won't last long against THIS!"

The hand cannon's .50 caliber bullets were designed to pierce through highly determined targets. Frisk saw a bright flash, and then there was nothing.

And then, Frisk was back where he was a few moments ago. Something was different about this death. When he died in the underground, his mind was still intact, even when his SOUL shattered. That was how he was able to RESET even after dying, but this time, there was absolutely nothing. He was gone. He couldn't have possibly been the one who RESET; it must have been Chara. It was already disorienting when Chara RESET while he was alive, but this was a surreal and admittedly frightening experience.

Frisk shook off his disorientation and ran back to the place he died.

"No, Frisk, please!"

Frisk confronted the terrorist again. "I want to speak with your General!"

The terrorist looked amused "Well, why not? We have time! Actually, it looks like he's coming to you right now!"

The enemy General, "Murder" as they had agreed to call him, walked up to them. He stared at Frisk with a blank expression.

"…I knew this encounter was inevitable, but I didn't think it would happen so soon. This must be the work of Gaster. How kind of him."

He really did look just like Frisk, and what was he saying about Gaster? Was Gaster playing both sides?

"Wh-who are you?" Frisk asked Murder.

"Oh, can't you tell? I'm you, Frisk. I am the Frisk of another timeline, but I'm not a pacifist fool like you. In my timeline, I went to Mount Ebott to end the monster threat once and for all. There was just one problem: another Essence had latched on to my SOUL. I knew that if I reached LV 20, Chara would gain control of my body, so I had to leave a few monsters alive and end my attack early. However, when I got back to the surface, I told everyone how savage the monsters were. I told them how they murdered the seven humans who had fallen down before me, and how they were just one SOUL away from destroying the barrier and starting a war on humanity. After that, the military finally decided to end them. We shattered the barrier and began exterminating them all, but some escaped. I wanted to help, but I still had Chara in me, begging me to stop and waiting for her chance to take over. That's when Gaster showed up. He helped me extract and extinguish Chara's Essence. After that, I was free to kill as much as I wanted, and now the monsters of my timeline are all but extinct. But then, Gaster told me about the other timelines and offered to take me to one, and here I am."

Frisk clenched his fists. "You… killed everyone? You… killed Chara?"

Murder seemed to stare straight into Frisk's SOUL. "…You can't say you're better than me. You've killed them too. I know."

Murder looked at Chara and Asriel. "Whatever happened to you two? Helping this pacifist weakling? Flowey, whatever happened to 'kill or be killed?' And Chara… your little relationship sickens me. Look at you two, desperately clinging to each other because neither of you can forgive yourselves. It's pathetic."

Chara gritted her teeth. "You are NOT Frisk!"

"We are not same person, that's for sure." Murder said. 'I had no problem watching your Essence extinguish; I rather enjoyed it, in fact. This Frisk is a much different story. Can he even survive without you? Let's find out."

Murder drew a pistol and shot Chara in the head. She fell backwards, leaving behind a trail of red mist. Frisk caught her before she hit the ground, and he watched the life drain from her eyes.

"Chara…"

Frisk was too stunned to do anything. Murder aimed his pistol at Frisk. Asriel ensnared his hands just before he pulled the trigger.

"I swore away 'kill or be killed,'" Asriel said. "But for you, I'll make an exception."

Murder looked at Frisk and smiled slightly. "Looks like he can't."

"Frisk! What are you doing?! RESET!" Asriel called out to him.

 _R-right… RESET._

Frisk closed his eyes and thought deeply about going back in time, back when Chara was alive. He opened his eyes, and she was in front of him unharmed. He wanted to say it was like waking up from a nightmare, but this was much worse. Frisk took a moment to recover from the shock of watching Chara die. He seemed more broken up about it than she was.

"It's okay, Frisk," Chara assured him. "I've been through it before."

Frisk started to feel dizzy.

"Frisk, I'm fine!" Chara realized it wasn't that. She pulled out her syringe and injected Frisk with determination. He felt better right away.

Despite Chara's protests, Frisk ran back towards Murder.

"But why?" Frisk asked him. "What made you want to kill them all?"

The only emotion in Murder's eyes was a slight irritation. "I'm not like Chara. I'm not going to back away from this. If you think you can twist my emotions like you did to the monsters in Mount Ebott, you are horribly mistaken. Nothing in particular made me do this. I just know they are dangerous and must be wiped out for humanity. Now, hurry up and fire your flare already, or I'll kill you until you run out of determination!" He shot Frisk dead.

Chara RESET, and Frisk confronted Murder again. This time, Murder didn't bother talking. He just had his army shoot Frisk on sight.

Chara RESET again, and Frisk ran towards the enemy again. Chara tried to grab him, but she was too tired. Asriel snared Frisk with his vines.

"It's no use, Frisk!" Asriel said.

Frisk stopped. "…You're right."

Frisk noticed Chara's exhaustion and injected her. She instantly got her energy back.

"...I don't want to resolve this peacefully anymore," Frisk said.

Asriel and Chara nodded in agreement.

Frisk loaded the green flare and aimed the flare gun at the sky. He fired.

* * *

Miller's company entered the barrier.

"Took your damn time, didn't you?" Miller asked them.

"Sorry…" Frisk apologized.

"Being sorry isn't going to win this battle… You didn't use up your syringe, did you?"

"Just a little…"

Miller sighed. He took their syringes and refilled them. "We don't have much of this stuff. Now, just stay back and do what I tell you."

Miller began barking orders to his men. "Move out! Watch your sectors!"

The soldiers advanced in perfect unison. They slowly approached the village. No shots had been fired yet. They cautiously kept moving. Frisk knew that the silence would not last long.

And then it came. One of the soldiers fell and painted the ground red. Frisk RESET.

"DT superiority confirmed," a soldier said.

"Sniper on that rooftop, four o'clock," the solder who died called out. A squad fired on the sniper, and they heard a SOUL shatter. "Target down."

Chara looked uneasy. "Frisk… I don't feel good about this." Frisk knew what she meant. It felt wrong, using their power like this. It wasn't fair. No matter how hard the enemy fought, they would just be forced back in time until they lost. Then again, these people had to be stopped, or many more would die.

Miller looked at Chara. "I know that look. Yes, we have a major advantage, but we haven't won yet. Remember, you can only RESET so many times. The battlefield is no place for mercy."

They heard an explosion. An enemy grenade had detonated and killed an entire squad. Chara RESET.

"Where is he?"

"No fix on position!"

Chara saw the grenade flying towards them again.

"Get behind me!" Chara ran in front of the soldiers and turned her SOUL green. She deflected the explosion with a magic barrier.

The soldiers looked confused. "Saved by… the Demon?" one asked.

Chara saw the grenadier. She launched a volley of magic knives at him. He cried out in pain as the knives went through him, and he fell down, incapacitated.

They didn't have time to celebrate. As soon as Chara eliminated the grenadier, a machine gunner popped out of cover and cut down the whole squad, including Chara. Frisk RESET.

"Eight o'clock!" The soldiers took the machine gunner out.

But the enemy ambush still wasn't finished. The squad and Chara were wiped out again by an RPG. Frisk RESET, and the squad killed the terrorist with the RPG.

Frisk felt dizzy again. He injected himself with the syringe.

"Frisk!" Miller yelled. "RESET further back. This is a textbook tactic. They've surrounded them, and they're trying to force you to use up all your determination by attacking them one at a time."

"No, I've got this!" Asriel declared. He dug into the ground. Soon, Frisk heard screaming and saw massive vines grab the terrorist who was about to wipe out the squad again. Asriel slammed the terrorist on the ground and knocked him out. Asriel went back into the ground and repeated this process for every enemy that had surrounded them.

Asriel looked at Chara. "Aren't you glad I came?"

"Only if you don't die," Chara answered.

After that, the battle became long and tedious. Being able to RESET was obviously a major advantage, but the enemy remembered RESETs too. The enemy changed their tactics every time and fought unpredictably. That said, every time the enemy lost, it was permanent. Frisk and Chara, on the other hand, could erase their army's mistakes. It seemed to be only a matter of time until they won.

"Yeah, I love DT superiority!" a soldier who hadn't been killed shouted.

One of the soldiers who had been killed wasn't so thrilled. He stayed behind cover, hyperventilating.

"It's okay, now," another soldier tried to reassure him.

"No, it's not! I just died! I JUST DIED!"

"Come on, it's not that bad. I died too, but I was… still there, you know?"

"I WASN'T! EVERYTHING WAS GONE! THERE WAS NOTHING!" This soldier, along with a few others, seemed to be out of the fight.

Miller sighed. "Even with all our training, it's hard to prepare someone for a real death in a real battlefield. Dying is always part of our training. Barriers are excellent tools for live fire training exercises, but it's still just not the same as an actual battle. If someone's Essence cannot survive death, dying can drive them mad."

"Umm… I don't think my Essence survives, not anymore at least," Frisk said.

Miller actually looked concerned. "Really? Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Any decent person would have a hard time staying determined after what you've been through."

He wasn't nearly as concerned as Chara though. "Frisk… not you too…"

Sniper fire interrupted them. An allied squad got gunned down. Frisk RESET. He felt tired and injected himself again.

Except, there wasn't any more determination.

"I'm out!" Frisk called out.

Chara checked her own syringe. "…I'm out, too."

"We don't have anymore," Miller told them.

"But… then…"

"It always comes to this." Miller began speaking into his radio. "Men, Frisk and Chara are OUT of DT. Do not expect more RESETs."

A few of the soldiers got sniped again, but some made it behind cover.

"No… I can… still… RESET…" Frisk concentrated hard, but could not move back a second. Chara looked like she was trying too, but was about as successful as Frisk was.

"If you have anything left," Miller said, "Save it for when we really need it."

"But…"

"I know it's a cliché, but… they signed up for this. Even with determination, they know that it does not last forever."

Even without any more RESETs, they would likely still win. The enemy was now hopelessly outnumbered, yet they still fought fiercely. Perhaps the terrorists didn't need to win. They just needed to take as many people with them as they could. Frisk wanted to anything he could to keep as many people alive as possible, but without determination, what could he do? Frisk thought back to his final battle with Asriel back underground. Asriel had much more determination and controlled the timeline, but Frisk's friends gave him the strength he needed to win. This time, all his friends that weren't dead hated him. This time, nobody would come to help.

Frisk spotted the enemy sniper, who had changed position and now had a clear shot at the soldiers.

Much to Frisk's dismay, Chara ran back into the fight. She did the same thing as last time. She turned her SOUL green a put up a barrier in between the sniper. The sniper's bullet was deflected, but the impact shattered the barrier. Chara swung her knife and launched a magic shockwave at the sniper. He fell backward, but he was not hurt much. The sniper's LV must have been high. If only Frisk knew magic…

The squad Chara was protecting fired at the sniper. He went into cover, and then he swiftly popped back out and fired a special magic round that detonated with a massive shockwave, knocking Chara and the whole squad down on the ground. The sniper loaded a real bullet and aimed at Chara.

Frisk's heart stopped. "CHARA!"

Just before he fired, a vine grabbed the sniper's rifle and threw it away. Asriel grabbed the sniper and looked at him with disgust.

"You were about to kill my sister. What do you think I should do to you?" Asriel squeezed tighter. The sniper grimaced in pain.

"Asriel…" Frisk said.

"In this world…"

"You don't have to…"

"It's kill…"

"You've beaten him, just…"

"…or be killed!"

Asriel ripped the sniper in half. Blood and the shards of his SOUL rained down on him.

And then… Asriel was again holding the sniper. Chara must have used everything she had to RESET just a few moments earlier.

"What? Why?" Asriel asked. "Are they RESETing now?"

"No, brother, please," Chara pleaded. "Don't make the same mistakes I did." She barely had the strength left to speak.

"Sister…"

Asriel strangled the sniper unconscious, but not dead.

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel regrouped and rested for a moment.

"I'm sorry…" Asriel apologized.

"It's not your fault," Chara said.

Asriel sighed. "I guess I can't really argue…"

"What are we going to do?" Frisk asked. "How can we protect everyone now?"

"Well…" Asriel said. "I can keep fighting. You two just stay down."

"NO, ASRIEL!" Chara shouted. "What if I can't RESET again?"

"But…"

"You're this way because of me! If you die, it's my fault!"

"Frisk… what do you think?"

Frisk was torn. He didn't want to lose Asriel as much as Chara, but… how could he justify holding him back when it could save more lives? It was the same reason why he could not be forgiven for his actions. Killing many others did not justify saving one, no matter how close that one person was to him.

At first, the look in Chara's eyes begged Frisk to tell Asriel to stay, but after a while, Chara seemed to understand.

Chara sobbed. "Just… go, Asriel."

"Sister… if I don't make it…"

"But… you're not going alone."

"…Okay. I'll stay close." Asriel burrowed into the ground.

"I'm coming too," Frisk brandished his dagger.

"A knife to gun fight, Frisk?" Chara asked.

"We'll make it work."

Chara held her own knife and made it glow with magic. Her red eyes sparkled with determination. "Damn right we will."

Just before they charged into battle, something else entered the barrier. It was Lucida and Robin, but no one else.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Miller shouted. "I said no monsters!"

"We're not ordinary monsters," Lucida said. "Robin, show them."

"I'M REALLY FEELING UP TO IT RIGHT NOW!" Robin shouted.

Robin began to… separate. His arms and legs detached from his body, and he floated. Frisk had seen this before, when he fought the Mad Dummy. Robin was an incorporeal. He held a sword in each of his floating hands.

Robin rushed towards an enemy squad and slashed at them with a whirlwind of spiraling attacks. They tried to shoot him, but the bullets just phased right through. Robin cut them all down.

"Damn it, it's an incorporeal!" an enemy shouted. "Fall back!"

Lucida stopped some of the runners by turning their SOULs blue. She held them still and let Robin finish them off. Their human allies chased down the rest. Just like that, it looked like the fight was almost over.

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel joined the assault. Chara supported him with her magic, and Frisk called out targets who were loading magic rounds. Asriel neutralized them. Their momentum became unstoppable. Most of the enemy ran all the way to the other side of the barrier. They stayed with Robin while the rest of the army pursued.

And then Murder confronted them.

"An incorporeal, huh? They are the only types of monsters that ever gave us real trouble. There just aren't enough mages these days. Fortunately, I've prepared for these situations." Fire appeared in Murder's hand.

Chara casted a barrier. Murder attacked with a constant stream of flame and quickly shattered it. The flames went straight toward Robin and struck him. Robin collapsed to the ground and stopped moving.

"No!" Frisk tried to RESET, but he just didn't have anything left.

"ROBIN!" Lucida turned Murder's SOUL blue and tried to bring him down, but he resisted. They were evenly matched.

Frisk tackled Murder. With Lucida's help, he managed to knock him down. Frisk pointed his dagger at him.

"Why?" Frisk asked him again. "Why do think monsters are so dangerous? They're nice…"

Murder's emotionless face suddenly lit up with amusement. "Haha, you know what? Maybe this was never about that at all! Maybe I just wanted to burn that pathetic race into dust!"

Frisk's dagger trembled. "Y-you…"

"It felt so good to kill them all. That satisfaction I get every time I see that dust, and when my EXP rises, there's nothing like it. Sadly, my EXP capped a while ago, but it still feels great to kill!"

"How could you…"

"I would tell you about all the people I've killed underground, but you've already seen all that yourself. Remember Papyrus? Now that was a good one! Did he try to spare you too? Hilarious, isn't it? To think we would just stop like that!"

"I…"

"Hey, there's one thing I could tell you that you haven't seen. Want to hear how Chara screamed in pain as I extinguished her Essence? Want to hear how she begged me to stop killing her people? How she said she was wrong to attack her village? How sorry she was? Want to hear her last words?"

"I-I… I will…"

"Asriel, I'll see you soon…"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP AND DIE!"

For the first time in his life, Frisk truly wished death upon someone. He screamed and rapidly stabbed Murder. His blood splattered all over Frisk, but he wouldn't die. His LV 20 SOUL was tough, but after several stabs. Frisk could finally feel it starting to break. He raised his dagger for a final blow…

But… Frisk could not move his hand. It wasn't that he didn't want to or anything. He wanted him dead so badly, but he seemed to have lost control of his entire body. What was going on?

 _Frisk, stop. This isn't you!_

 _Chara…?_

And then Frisk realized it; Chara still owned Frisk's SOUL. Her own body lied motionless on the ground.

Chara spoke to Murder through Frisk's body.

"I don't believe you. I don't believe you're doing this just to kill monsters. You're doing this because of me, aren't you? You don't forgive me for attacking this village. You think that someone like me will one day doom humanity, just like how I believed that humans would one day wipe out monsters. Well… perhaps we're both right. One could destroy the other, but… maybe we should just believe in each other."

Murder looked angry, to put it lightly. "Y-you… you're the DEMON! You can't change! They will never forget what you are, so why don't you just play the part?!"

Murder broke through Lucida's hold and rolled Chara over so he was on top of her. Chara tried to stab him, but Murder caught the dagger and they wrestled for control of it.

Murder stared at Chara. "Look at this face, 'Chara.' This is the face of the one who will never forgive you. The one who HATES you. The one who killed you once, and will gladly do it again!"

"Maybe in your timeline, but in this one, it is the face of the one who loves me!"

Chara had access to Frisk's SOUL, but Murder was still stronger. He was just about to get the dagger away from her…

But before that happened, the ghost inside the armor of Robin left their armor and floated over Murder.

"Oh…"

 _No way…_

Tears formed in the ghost's eyes.

"H-how could you be so mean? Frisk loves us. Frisk would never hate us like this. Even Chara never really hated us. Y-you…"

"YOU ARE NOT FRISK!"

Murder screamed as his body was melted away by a barrage of acidic tears. His SOUL floated out of his body.

And then Gaster appeared. He summoned his DT Extraction Machine. An indescribable ray of pure blackness emitted from it and hit Murder's SOUL. Frisk heard Murder scream again.

"No, Gaster! I can still fight! Give me another chance, Gaster! PLEASE!"

Murder's screams became bloodcurdling, and then Frisk felt something like a SOUL shattering. Except, the SOUL was still intact. Frisk looked closer and saw the Essence inside Murder's SOUL extinguish. Gaster switched a setting on the machine, and then it fired a bright white beam. It absorbed the SOUL, and then Gaster vanished.

Chara returned to her own body. She ran to Frisk and hugged him.

"I'm sorry, Frisk. I didn't want to do that ever again."

Frisk hugged back. "I'm glad you did. I lost control of myself."

"I'm still sorry."

Frisk laughed. "'The face of the one who loves me?' Really, Chara?"

"Well, I'm SORRY I can't come up with epic lines in the middle of a battle!"

He smiled at her. "You're not wrong, though…"

"Ah, Frisk. Only you would flirt in the middle of a fight…"

Asriel looked at the remaining enemies. "In Frisk's defense, it doesn't look like there's much of a fight left. With their leader gone, the few terrorists left are finally surrendering. Maybe we should get out of here while we have the chance."

"Wait," Frisk said. "There's someone we need to talk to first."

But they had returned to their armor. Lucida picked it up. "Don't worry, Robin. We'll get you a new body."

Frisk decided that he couldn't blow "Robin's" cover. He had so many questions, but he would have to ask them some other time.

* * *

"Hey," Chara said. "Before we go, can I see something first?"

"Of course," Frisk answered.

Chara went outside the village proper and walked into the cemetery. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for, and it was far more than she was expecting. There was a small stone statue of her. It wasn't that impressive, but the cost of it must have been a fortune for the poor village. Chara could see writing on it. Several years had faded the writing, but it was still legible.

 _We're sorry, Chara._


	20. Gaster

Frisk and Asriel led Chara out of the cemetery. She was still crying.

"Stay with me, Chara," Frisk said. "We're almost out of here."

Chara didn't respond, but she kept moving.

They walked to the barrier. They almost reached it, and then it was destroyed. Outside, a group of soldiers pointed their guns at them. Frisk and Chara put their hands up. Asriel just tried to sit still and look unthreatening. Miller and Lucida walked up to them.

"Thank you for the help," Miller said. "No, really. Thank you. But, you know what we must do now." He pulled out his handcuffs again.

"TO HELL WITH THAT!" Lucida shouted. "Let's kill them! Right now!" Several soldiers cheered in agreement.

"NO, DAMN IT!" Miller shouted. "We will do this the right way! They will get a trial, and then they will receive the appropriate punishment."

"A… trial?" Lucida scoffed. "We know what they did, and there's no punishment we could possibly give them that would make up for it."

"…Do it," Chara told Lucida.

"What?"

"If that's what you want, then kill me. I won't stop you. You're right. Nothing you can do to me will atone for my actions. Just promise me, once I'm dead, you will do everything you can to stop the war from starting again. Don't become me. Let the cycle of hatred and revenge end with me."

Lucida clearly wasn't expecting that.

"Th-that's no Demon!" a soldier timidly yelled. A few others murmured in agreement, but it still seemed to be an unpopular opinion.

Lucida still looked determined to kill them. "You're a fool if you think a few pretty words will save your pathetic life."

"That's not what I'm trying to do," Chara said. "But, I do have one more request: let Frisk live. I was the one who killed everyone, not him."

Frisk didn't want this for Chara, but if she was going to do it, she wasn't going alone. "NO! If you kill her, kill me too!"

"Frisk, enough people have died because of me. Please, don't be another one of my victims."

"I'm not leaving you."

"But… they still need you, Frisk."

"They'll be happier without me."

"Oh?" Lucida cut in. "Are you talking about those abominations you created? Yes, you're right. Those things will be much better off once you're both dead."

Once again, Gaster appeared between them and Lucida.

"Sorry Lucida, but I still can't let you kill them just yet."

Lucida looked confused, "G-Gaster? What are you doing? How could you possibly not want them dead?"

Gaster remained silent.

"THEY KILLED OUR SONS, GASTER!"

Gaster still ignored her. He gestured towards Frisk, Chara, and Asriel. "Come, children. Let me take you away from here."

Frisk was ready to die, but something about Gaster made Frisk want to listen. He wanted to understand what Gaster was planning. Gaster casted some kind of magic. Frisk could feel it beckoning him to go somewhere else, and he let it take him. He began to fade away from the village.

"I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS, GASTER!" Lucida screamed.

Gaster chuckled. "You have no idea how many times I've heard you say that."

Lucida pointed at Chara. "Humans! If you have any sense of justice, kill her! KILL HER NOW!"

Shots were fired, but none of them reached their target. They were gone.

* * *

Chara looked around. She was in the True Lab again. Frisk and Asriel were with her, and Gaster appeared before them. Chara had so many questions for Gaster.

"What are you doing?" Chara asked. "That impostor said you were helping him. Why?"

"Do you realize what you've done?" Gaster asked. "That Frisk had almost wiped out every monster in his timeline. Now that he's dead, the few monsters left just might survive. You just saved an entire timeline. They will never know their saviors, but they owe you everything."

She… saved an entire timeline? Well, what was left of it, anyway. It was an odd feeling. Did it make up for what she did to this one? No, but maybe it was a start.

"Who was he exactly?" Frisk asked Gaster. "If he was me, why was he so… different?"

"Different timeline, different Frisk," Gaster responded. "Across the different timelines, the personalities of most people remain fairly consistent. Chara and especially Frisk, however, are something of an anomaly. Early on, Chara doesn't diverge too much. They are always born in the same village, become hateful towards humanity for whatever reason, and make their way to Mount Ebott where they form their plan with Asriel, which always results in both of their deaths."

"Frisk, on the other hand, never has quite the same origin. Some Frisks are pacifists. They love monsters and would never hurt anyone. Some Frisks, like the one you called 'Murder', want to exterminate every single monster in existence, and others are anything in between. Even their gender isn't consistent, a trait shared with Chara. Some are male, some are female, and some don't really have a gender. The only consistency about Frisk is that they make their way to Mount Ebott for whatever reason and has enough determination to accomplish whatever goal they have."

"So…" Frisk said. "He really wasn't me."

"You two couldn't have been more different."

Frisk exhaled a sigh of relief.

"…What about the… other Charas?" Chara asked.

"As I said, Chara doesn't change too much until meeting Frisk. At that point, Chara tends to reflect the personality of the Frisk of the same timeline."

 _Oh no… Frisk isn't going to take that well._

Chara looked at him. "It's okay, Fr-"

"I'm fine, Chara."

"Are you sure?"

Frisk nodded. "I already know that it's my fault. Besides, this isn't about my pride. I'm not doing this for redemption. I'm doing this to save everyone I can, and to prevent another war. This isn't about the past. I'm fighting for the future."

Chara was stunned, and she was struck with a new kind of guilt. All this time, she had been struggling to find a way to redeem herself for her sins, but Frisk only cared about others. He was so selfless.

Frisk looked at Gaster. "And how can we do that?"

"You tell me," Gaster replied. "You told my assistant that you wanted to help, and you have already done so flawlessly." Gaster showed them a container with Murder's SOUL inside. "One can never have too many LV 20 SOULs."

"You… say that like you don't care how they got to LV 20," Frisk said.

"Oh, but I do care. That's why I can't let them go to waste, or their deaths will have been for nothing. I wasn't the one who killed them. I had nothing to do with their deaths. When a timeline fails, I come in and take what I can, so that other timelines may not meet the same fate."

Gaster floated right up to Frisk. "Do you have any idea how this feels? Watching my friends, my entire race, die over and over? You watched some of them die twice. I've watched all of them die thousands of times."

Frisk looked like he didn't know what to say.

"…What happens in those timelines?" Chara asked him.

"All kinds of things!" Gaster exclaimed. "But there are… trends. The thing is, Chara, you were right. Even when Frisk does his best to secure peace between humans and monsters, war eventually breaks out. Many years later, when Frisk is forgotten, fear often takes over. The humans fear the monsters' magical ability and their power to absorb human SOULs, and the monsters fear the humans' natural strength and their technology. Most of the time, a human-monster war results in the destruction of all monsters. Humans are just too powerful for monsters to defeat, but it does happen sometimes. A monster victory usually requires that several human sympathizers offer their SOULs to the monsters. With the power of human SOULs, monsters sometimes prevail. Those timelines are rare, though. I have to watch my own race die far more often than I watch humanity die."

"Chara is, in fact, the most frequent cause of a monster victory. Their plan may cost many monster lives and even more human lives, but when successful, they secure the safety of the monster race for many generations to come. I commend you, Chara. You were able to put aside your feelings, look beyond the short-sighted perspective of the common person, and do what must be done."

Chara didn't want to hear that. It still wasn't right. It wasn't right to commit genocide because of what humanity _might_ do. She had come to realize that trust was far more important. This man was as insane as she once was.

Frisk was angry as well. "If Chara is a demon, then you're the devil! I refuse to believe you! Humans and monsters don't have to destroy each other! They can live in peace!"

"Not like that," Gaster said. "As long as the distinction between humans and monsters exist, there will be conflict between them."

Frisk lost his patience. "What do want from us?"

"You know what I want: a LV 20 monster SOUL."

Frisk's eyes widened. "But… that would require…"

"More deaths? Yes. Yes it would. But, there are plenty of people out there who would be better off dead, like the terrorists you just fought, and that grinder you killed earlier."

"But-"

"If you refuse, I will have to resort to back-up plan."

"Back-up plan…?"

"I've had my followers collect the bodies of every human that died in the war. If you won't help, then then I will revive every human that can possibly be revived. I have more than enough SOULs and determination for all of them."

Frisk looked confused. "Uh… that sounds wonderful, actually."

Chara sighed. "Frisk… how do you think the monsters will react to all the humans being revived, but none of them?"

Frisk understood, and he was disgusted. "Gaster… you would let the war start again?"

"This timeline is in grave danger. If I can't save it, then I might as well try to get something out of its destruction."

Frisk grimaced. "If you think I'm going to kill more people for you…"

"You won't have a choice. Soon, there is going to be more conflict. Not everyone in Murder's army was from his timeline. Some of them were grinders he recruited from this one. They will be seeking revenge. More deaths are inevitable. All I ask is that you give a certain monster the proper guidance needed to reach LV 20, and then many monsters and humans will be saved."

"…And who is this monster?" Asriel asked.

"Asriel!" Frisk yelled. "You can't possibly think this is a good idea!"

"I think we should keep our options open," Asriel said.

"Wise choice, soulless one," Gaster said. "It could be anyone, but I believe a suitable candidate would be the Royal Guard Captain: Lucida Gaster."

Frisk glared at Gaster. "Isn't she your wife?'

"Officially, I'm dead, so not anymore. But yes, she was once my wife."

"You would use your own wife as a pawn?"

"If it means saving an entire timeline, then yes. Frisk, would you not sacrifice Chara to bring back all the people she killed?"

Frisk looked defeated. "…I would…"

"Of course you would," Chara told him. "And that's what I would want you to do."

"Chara… could you sacrifice me?"

Chara was caught by surprise. She had asked him the same question, but how had she never considered it the other way around?

A single tear ran down her cheek. "No, I couldn't. Not anymore, at least. After sacrificing so many, I don't think I can sacrifice anyone ever again."

"The difference between then and now…" Gaster cut in. "Is that back then, you forced them to be sacrificed. Lucida, on the other hand, must be convinced to help you, at the proper time that is."

"How could we possibly do that?" Frisk asked.

"I would suggest starting with others. I've already found some allies. I believe you've already been acquainted with them."

Gaster left, and he came back followed by Green and Purple.

"Purple!" Frisk said. "Did you know about his plan?"

"Yes."

"And you support it?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I support killing grinders regardless. Many lives are saved by killing them, and we can save even more with a LV 20 monster SOUL."

Frisk sighed. "Green, you too?"

"Yes. I hate violence as much as you do, but sometimes, there's no other way."

Another person came in the room: an elderly turtle monster.

"Wah ha ha!"

Frisk and Chara were startled. "Gerson?!"

"Yes, it's been a while, Frisk. And it's been a REALLY long time, Chara!"

"What are you doing here?" Chara asked.

"Chara, you know that Gaster and I used to be friends before he died. When I heard he was still kicking, I had to see him!"

"How can you help him?" Frisk asked.

"Wa ha… not much to be honest, but I do know my history. I've lived through much of it, remember?"

"That's right!" Chara exclaimed. "You've lived through the first human-monster war. You were the Hammer of Justice! You're a hero!"

"Heh, a hero? I don't know about that. These old bones aren't fit for fighting anymore. I just hid during the last war."

"I wish everyone had done that," Chara said. "There would never have been a war…"

"Yes, well… I don't know about that, either. I was worried about war as soon as that barrier was broken. Asgore and I once agreed that escaping would be pointless, as the humans would just kill us. I was surprised war didn't start sooner, actually. Don't get me wrong, I don't condone your actions, but perhaps being through a war, and having faced human cruelty, has made me a little more sympathetic towards you than some."

Chara looked at him ruefully. "Gerson, I know it's not worth anything, but I want you to know that I'm so sorry."

"Ah, Chara. I still remember you back then. All the monsters loved you. They believed that you were the one prophesized to free us from the underground. 'All hail our future savior, Princess Chara!' they cried."

Frisk laughed. "Princess Chara?"

Chara blushed. _Oh, why did he have to bring that up?_

"Yes… Prince Frisk!" Gerson said. "It's easy to forget that the Dreemurr family is a royal family. You know, Frisk, as the only remaining child of Asgore and Toriel, you were actually next in line to succeed the throne."

"Really?" Frisk asked. "But, I'm not even a monster."

"WAH HA HA! Like they would have cared about that! Are you really surprised? Why do you think they named you the Royal Ambassador? You were their hero! That said… good luck staking that claim now!"

"…Some savior I turned out to be…" Chara muttered.

"You know…" Gerson said. "Monsters are still looking for a new leader. Someone needs to fill in this power vacuum. In a few days, it will be time for the Kingdom of Monsters' Monthly Address. If I were you, I would pay close attention to what they have to say…"

"What about Dad?" Chara asked. "He's still alive! In a… flower, but still…"

"Do you think they will be willing to accept a soulless king?" Gerson asked.

"…No."

"Then, unless you can solve that problem real quick, I would make this my top priority if I were you."

"We will. Thank you for the advice," Frisk said.

"Oh! That's reminds me!" Chara exclaimed. "Mom and Dad are still in New Home! We should go get them."

"Yes," Gaster said. "I've already sent someone to collect them. They should arrive shortly."

And so they waited. In the meantime, Frisk smirked at Chara.

 _Don't you dare…_

Frisk kneeled before his princess. "Forgive me, my lady. All this time, I have not been addressing you properly."

"Frisk, you can address me however you want!"

"Very well… Chara… my love…"

She smiled. "That's better… my prince."

Gerson cringed. "You two are even worse than Asgore and Toriel!"

"Don't remind me…" Chara groaned.

"And you're so young! Chara, aren't you twelve?"

"Thirteen! And almost fourteen… I think… Wait, am I fourteen…?" Calculating her exact age was a bit confusing since she was dead for several years. If she counted time spent as an Essence inside Frisk, she would have been fifteen. She doubted she aged during that time though, so she must have turned fourteen recently.

"Aw, Chara… did we miss your birthday?" Frisk asked. It was funny how little things could get you down even in a crisis like the one they were in. Chara supposed her birthday wasn't the day she was born anymore.

"Ah, yes. I remember now," Gerson said. "We celebrated your thirteenth birthday back underground. That was a while before your suicide, so you must be fourteen by now. I suppose you are old enough to have those feelings, and it's hardly your greatest sin, but what about Frisk?"

"I'm thirteen," Frisk said. "I was twelve when I first went underground, and I turned thirteen a while before… everything happened."

 _Yeah! Perfectly old enough to... We're so messed up..._

"So, Gerson…" Asriel said to change the subject. "Do you know who will be speaking at the Monthly Address?"

"Let's see…" Gerson replied to Asriel. "I know Lucida will be there. The monsters you revived will be there… yeah, this doesn't look good for you."

"Who are the candidates?" Asriel asked.

"No one is fit for the throne, really." Gerson said. "Lucida might be good (perhaps not for you), but she would rather keep her post as Royal Guard Captain. Temmie from the Tem Shop is running. That would be something. I have no idea how she got that college degree. Jerry dared to put his name in, as if anyone will vote for him. People are trying to get this dog to run, but all he ever does is sit there. Oh, and Burgerpants is running! We are really scrapping the bottom of the barrel here!"

Chara hated to be mean (believe it or not), but that really wasn't much of a selection. "Isn't there anyone else?" she asked.

"Well, people used to think 'Robin' should step in, but his recent display of sympathy toward you has destroyed that."

"Wait…" Frisk said. "Do you… know who he really is?"

"Oh, yeah. Gaster's seen similar disguises before."

"So… why did they join the Royal Guard?"

"And why did they cut Frisk's arm?!" Chara demanded.

"Ask them yourself," Gaster said. "They've just returned."

Napstablook floated into the room.

Chara clenched her fists.

* * *

 **AN: Remember, Chara knows magic. Ghosts are vulnerable to magic.**


	21. Reunions

Chara silently stared at Napstablook.

"Uh… Chara…?" Frisk asked.

"YOU HURT FRISK!" Chara screamed.

"…Sorry…" Napstablook apologized.

"What were you thinking?! Why were you acting like that?"

Napstablook looked flustered. "I… I was trying to show everyone how much you and Frisk care about each other… It didn't go very well…"

Huh… that actually explained a lot. That was why Napstablook had such a creepy interest in her relationship with Frisk. But…

"Why did you have to cut Frisk's arm?" she asked. "That wound still hasn't healed you know!"

"Sorry… I didn't mean to hit him so hard… sorry…"

"Napstablook, why didn't you just tell us?" Frisk asked.

"I wanted an authentic reaction."

"Well, that's what you got!" Chara said.

"How did you even do it?" Asriel asked. "No offense, but you're… well… you."

"Mettaton taught me how to be an actor… but I can only do it when I'm possessing an object. Otherwise… I'm my normal self…"

They weren't kidding. Napstablook looked more depressed than ever. How could Chara stay mad at them?

Chara sighed. "Napstablook… did you really think that would work… even if it did go… however you were expecting?"

"Well… yeah… it worked for me… you two are so cute together…"

 _Oh, you poor naïve thing. Do you even understand the sheer weight of my crimes?_

Chara smiled. "Napstablook, I'll be honest. That was a terrible plan, but… thanks for trying."

Napstablook looked happier. "Really?"

"Yes, you're a good friend."

Chara coated her arms in a harmless magic spell, and she hugged Napstablook.

"Oh…" Napstablook looked happy.

Frisk and Asriel looked at Chara dubiously.

"…What? You don't think I can be caring?" she asked.

Frisk smiled guiltily. "Uh… of course you can be caring! Why would I think otherwise?"

"Oh, I know you can be caring," Asriel said. "I just didn't know that extended beyond Frisk."

"Brother…!"

"My dear Chara is one of the most caring people I know!" Toriel and Asgore entered the room. "Asriel, apologize to your sister!"

"Uh… sorry, Chara," Asriel apologized.

Chara smiled. "It's okay, brother. I suppose I have been leaning a bit too hard on Frisk lately."

Frisk laughed nervously.

"FRISK!" Toriel shouted. "What's with all that blood?!" Frisk was still covered in Murder's blood.

"Oh… I… um… we… uh…" There was no explaining this away.

"We were in a fight," Chara said.

"Who would fight my sweet children?!" Toriel asked. "Where are they now?!"

"Um…well… the leader is dead," Frisk said.

"GOOD! That's what you get when you mess with my children! I'll kill anyone who threatens you!"

"M-mom…"

Toriel's eyes widened as she realized what she just said.

"Help me…"

Toriel went into a corner and curled up.

"So… as you can see, we're doing great!" Asgore said.

"Dad…" Chara said. "We won't rest until we restore your SOULs. I swear it."

Asgore nodded solemnly, and then he joined Toriel in her corner.

"Chara…" Frisk whispered, "What are we going to do? Can we really trust Gaster?"

Chara was as torn as Frisk was. Gaster sounded completely insane. Chara refused to believe he was telling the truth about the inevitability of war; that was what she used to wrongfully believe. But, his plan was the only lead they had. It may have been the only way to give everyone SOULs again.

"I don't know," she answered. "We definitely can't trust that lunatic, but I don't want them to suffer anymore."

"I say we do it," Asriel said.

"Are you sure?" Frisk asked.

"If Gaster steps out of line, Chara and I can take him. He may be a mysterious timeline traveling ghost, but I'm sure a few magic attacks will make short work of him."

Frisk laughed. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. In any case, we have to deal with the Monthly Address first."

"Indeed," Gaster said, startling them. Was he listening the whole time? "But you don't have to go right away. Why don't you stay here and rest for a while?"

"When's the last time you ate?' Green asked them.

Come to think of it, Chara was starving. She hadn't eaten anything all day, and Frisk was in the same boat.

"I have chocolate…" Green said.

Chara beamed

* * *

Chara was happily enjoying a double dark chocolate donut. Frisk grew concerned.

"Chara, don't you think should eat something… healthier first?"

"Nope!" She ate the rest of the donut in one bite.

"I know you love chocolate, but I want you to stay healthy."

Chara stared at Frisk accusingly.

"Frisk! Are you saying what I think you're saying?!"

Frisk didn't get it. "That I care about your well-being?"

"You're worried about me getting FAT!"

"…Well, that is one concern…"

"AGH! You little…" Chara made her creepy face. "I'm going to eat all the chocolate I want!"

"No, Chara, please…"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The sound of the elevator interrupted them.

"Gaster, you let someone else in?" Purple asked.

"Yes," he answered. "I suggest you go meet our new guests."

Frisk and Chara made a temporary truce to their playful fight and moved closer to the entrance room. They heard two familiar voices.

"So, what's he gonna have again?"

"He'll have turrets ALL OVER his body, and both his arms will be giant laser cannons!"

"Oh! Give him spears on his back!"

"Okay! And we'll holster a giant sword on his waist!"

"YEAH!"

Undyne and Alphys walked into the room. They were carrying Mettaton's body.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Alphys asked Frisk and Chara.

"Hello, Alphys," Gaster greeted.

"G-G-G-Gaster?! How?!"

"Wait, you know Gaster?" Frisk asked.

"Of course I know Gaster! I served under him when he was the Royal Scientist, but then there was… the accident. How is he here?! Even in that weird ghost form?"

"Determination," Gaster simply replied.

"Gaster… Sans and I tried so hard to save you. We tried to repair the RESET machine, but no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't fix it. I'm so sorry, Gaster!"

"RESET machine…?" Frisk asked.

"Ever since Chara and Asriel died," Alphys said. "The Kingdom of Monsters had never been the same, and we couldn't allow Asgore to start another war on humanity. Gaster made a plan to stop Asgore. He would build a RESET machine to artificially recreate the human's ability to turn back time. We would go back in time to before Chara's death. Once we reached the past, we knew what we needed to do. We found VHS tapes revealing the truth of Chara's death. The three of us were the only ones who knew what really happened to Chara. Once we RESET to the past, we would convince Chara to abandon her plan and stop her from poisoning herself, saving both of the king's children and preventing the kingdom from ever falling into despair.

"Unfortunately, this machine… didn't work. Gaster, ever noble, used himself as the first test subject. The machine tore his very Essence to pieces, and we thought he was dead forever, unless we could fix the RESET machine and RESET to before his death, but we never did. We solemnly concluded that the machine was impossible to build, and yet, here Gaster stands… or floats I guess."

"You… tried to save Chara and Asriel?" Frisk asked.

"Don't let that get to your head!" Undyne warned. "Alphys may have tried to help her back then, but soon, we'll kill all three of you!"

"Uh… y-yeah!" Alphys agreed.

Chara pointed to Mettaton's body. "Hey, is that…?"

"This is your demise!" Undyne exclaimed. "Alphys is going to rebuild him, bigger and better than ever! And then he will destroy you!"

"Awesome! Can we help?" Frisk asked excitedly. He was used to Mettaton trying to kill him anyway.

Undyne looked bewildered, and then amused. "FUHUHUHU! If you're so eager to dig your own graves, than who am I to stop you?"

Gaster inspected Mettaton's body. "The SOUL is gone, but the Essence remains. I will extract it, and then you may transfer it into whatever body you wish."

"Th-thanks, Gaster!" Alphys said. "I can always count on you!"

"Come with me old friend, I know you have many questions."

"Y-yes."

Gaster led everyone deeper into the lab.

* * *

Alphys and Purple were working on Mettaton's new body. Frisk walked up to them.

"Hey, Alphys," Frisk whispered. "Was Gaster always so… um… negative?"

"No, he used to be one of the most optimistic monsters I knew," Alphys answered. "Going through all those timelines must have driven him mad. He's not who he once was."

"'Not who he once was,' like someone else I know…" Undyne remarked.

"He's also soulless," Alphys continued. "And in an even worse condition than us. The RESET machine fractured his Essence, and he can't even properly use a monster SOUL anymore. Considering that he's soulless AND the fact that he's traveled through countless failing timelines, I think it's remarkable that he's even still trying to do the right thing. Either one alone would be more than enough to cause insanity."

"Is what he says true, about the other timelines? About the wars?" Frisk asked.

"Sounds like a bunch of crap to me," Undyne said. "I mean, if a CERTAIN SOMEONE would have done a little more diplomacy and a little less having relations with demons, I don't see any real reason why humans and monsters would have ever slaughtered each other. If it weren't for that demon, I think peace would have lasted a very long time, if not forever. But, _someone_ destroyed that chance at peace."

Frisk stared silently for a while.

"Hey, Undyne," Frisk finally said. "Remember when we were supposed to be fighting, but I just ran away into Hotland. And then Sans was sleeping by the guard post, and you stopped to scold him! Haha, classic Sans!"

Undyne remained silent while Alphys continued working on Mettaton.

"And then you collapsed from the heat, and even though we were supposed to be enemies, I couldn't let you just lie there. So, I gave you water from a conveniently placed water cooler."

"I put that there just for her," Alphys said.

"He's not our friend anymore!" Undyne shouted.

Undeterred, Frisk recalled another memory. "Remember when I visited your house, and we cooked spaghetti? You smashed the tomatoes so hard that they splattered all over my face! And then you made me turn up the heat so high that… er… maybe that's not the best memory…"

Frisk tried another. 'Well, I'll never forget when Alphys asked me to roleplay a date with you! Alphys really freaked out when you walked in on us, and then she told you that Anime-"

"STOP IT!"

Undyne struck Frisk's face with a vine. He whimpered in pain.

"Undyne…"

"Stop trying to remind me of when were friends! WE ARE NOT FRIENDS ANYMORE! No matter how much I wish we could go back, we can't! Far too much blood and dust has been spilled!"

"…You wish we could still be friends?"

Undyne struck Frisk again. "You insolent little brat!"

"Stop hurting him!" Chara yelled.

"How many times did he tell you to stop hurting US?!" she retorted.

"I… I'm sorry…"

Undyne hit Chara. "You're going to have to try harder than THAT!"

"Wh-what can I do?"

"YOU CAN DIE!" Undyne swung her vines again.

Asriel blocked the attack with his own vines. "STOP! Don't lay another vine on my family!"

"U-Undyne…!" Alphys stammered. "Our revenge will come. Be patient!"

Undyne let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine." She retracted her vines.

Chara ran to Frisk. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. You?"

"Yeah."

Frisk exhaled a sigh of relief. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

Undyne glared at Frisk. "Frisk, I know it wasn't you that killed everyone. I might be willing to forgive you, if you would snap out of this perverse infatuation of yours. Seriously, how can you love someone who POSSESSED you and used your body to kill your friends? Do you have Stockholm syndrome or something?"

"I loved her before any of this happened," Frisk answered. "Undyne, you know how love feels. What if Alphys became misguided and killed a few people? Would you just cast her aside?"

"It doesn't matter, because Alphys WOULDN'T DO THAT!" Undyne evasively answered.

"…Well, I forgive Undyne," Alphys said.

"Wh-what?" Undyne asked. "Forgive? For what?"

"You've killed people, Undyne," Alphys answered. "Even more than Chara."

Silence.

"WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON, ALPHYS?" Undyne shouted.

"H-hey, don't yell at her!" Frisk advised from experience.

"I'm NOT a murderer!" Undyne insisted. "Now, let's all shut up and keep working on the killer robot!"

Purple smiled. "Uh… yeah!"

 _Aw, poor Purple, forced to sit through all this fighting._

They silently continued working on Mettaton's new body.

* * *

It grew late. They had made good progress, but it was still going to be a while until Mettaton's new body was complete. Frisk yawned.

"T-tired, Frisk?" Undyne smiled. "Alphys and I will not rest until this… robot… is…" Undyne yawned. "Damn you and your contagious yawning! Why does a flower need to sleep anyway?!"

Purple yawned too. "Yes, I think we've done enough work for the day. I advise we all get some rest."

"…Fine," Undyne conceded.

They all went to the dormitory, a single room with multiple beds.

Chara whispered to Frisk. "Frisk, what if Undyne tries to…"

"…Tries to what?"

"…Kill us in our sleep?"

"Chara, you know Undyne wouldn't do that. If she's going to kill us, it will be with honor."

"Yeah, because a killer robot is a perfectly honorable way to kill someone."

"Aw, Chara, are you scared?"

"Well, yes, but for you, not myself. I won't let you die."

Frisk smiled mischievously. "Then, do you want me to keep you company again?"

Asriel, who was eavesdropping, glared at Frisk.

"F-Frisk, there's not exactly a lot of privacy here…" Chara whispered.

Frisk laughed. "I was kidding! Seriously though, you'll be okay, right?"

"Of course."

"You won't have nightmares?"

"No."

"All right, then." He gave her a quick kiss goodnight, and they went into adjacent beds.

"Goodnight, Chara."

"Goodnight, Frisk."

The blanket wasn't nearly as warm or comforting as Chara's arms, but it sufficed. Frisk drifted off to sleep.

* * *

" **So what if a few people have to die? That's show business, baby!"**

 **-Mettaton**


	22. The Traveler

**"H-hey, I've done research about this! There are alternate universes out there!"**

 **-Alphys**

* * *

Chara couldn't sleep.

There was so much on her mind. Gaster's claims about the other timelines, her parents' deteriorating condition, and Undyne's harsh words. She kept trying to believe that she could make everything right, but that was getting harder every day. She had to get a LV 20 monster SOUL. The only way to atone for her murders was to cause even more death? It wasn't right.

Gaster appeared before her. "Can't sleep?"

"What do _you_ want?" she asked with more than a hint of hostility.

"I want to show you something."

That sounded strange, but she had nothing better to do. Like Asriel said, she could kill him if she had to.

"Fine."

Gaster teleported her away somewhere. She was no longer in the True Lab. She was standing on one of Mount Ebott's cliffs, and it was day. She could see her village; it was untouched by the battle that had just happened. She saw both humans and monsters living in it.

"There are three primary types of timelines," Gaster said. "Pacifist, Neutral, and Soulless. You are currently looking at a Pacifist timeline, where Frisk successfully frees the monsters, and they live in peace on the surface… for a time."

Chara grimaced.

"Why are you showing me this?" she asked.

"Hmm?"

"In my timeline, most of the people in that village are dead. THEY"RE DEAD, BECAUSE OF YOU! You brought that murderer to my timeline, and he destroyed that village!"

"Yes, and one day, the village in this timeline will probably be destroyed too."

"Why should I believe anything you say?! Look at that village! Look at all those people! They're happy! This is exactly what Frisk wanted." Chara dropped to her knees. "Why couldn't I have just believed him? Why couldn't I have believed that humans and monsters could live in peace?"

"Because," Gaster said. "They can't. They may look peaceful now, but one day, they will turn to fighting, and the humans will probably win."

"I don't believe you!"

"See for yourself."

Gaster teleported her again. She was standing in the same spot, but instead of a peaceful village, a raging battlefield appeared before her. It was filled with both dust and blood.

"This is another Pacifist timeline," Gaster said. "One of the more unlucky ones. Despite Frisk's best efforts, it only took them a couple years to fight. Look, there's Frisk right there, watching hopelessly."

This timeline's Frisk was watching the battle just a few feet away from where Chara was standing. He saw her.

"Who are you?" he asked. "You look familiar somehow."

Chara wasn't sure what to tell him. She didn't belong in this timeline. She was an intruder here.

A look of recognition flashed across Frisk's face. "No, it can't be. Chara?"

"H-how do you know?"

"It IS you! Oh, Chara!" Frisk ran to her and hugged her. "I thought you were gone! Ever since I destroyed the barrier, I never heard your voice! Now I see why! You're back!" He began to cry tears of joy.

Well, this was awkward.

"Gaster…" Chara whispered. "Get me out of here." But he was gone.

Frisk looked straight into her eyes. "Chara, I'm so happy you're back…"

 _Oh no…_

Frisk gave Chara a kiss on the cheek. "We'll be together forever, won't we?"

 _AH! I"m sorry, Frisk!_

Frisk pulled away. "Uh… sorry if that was too forward, but I've wanted to do that for so long!"

"N-no, it's… it's okay…"

"Oh, thank you, Chara!"

 _Frisk, please forgive me!_

Of all the timelines Gaster could have sent her to, why did he have to pick this one? He said Frisk was always different, so there must have been plenty of timelines where Frisk wasn't interested in her. He could have even picked one where Frisk wasn't interested in girls!

Chara felt so sorry for this Frisk. He had failed to stop a war. All his friends were probably dead, and now he had just found his lost love, except she wasn't her. She couldn't stay with him; she had her own Frisk to go back to. When he found out the truth, he would be heartbroken beyond saving.

Frisk looked at the battlefield.

"I'm sorry, Chara. I should have listened to you. You were right. Humans and monsters can't live in peace. I tried so hard, but the humans wouldn't allow it. Now I see that it was always impossible."

Chara gave him a very worried look. "No, Frisk! That's not you! You always do the right thing, and you always stay determined!"

Frisk looked baffled. "Chara? You've always said that this would happen, and now that it actually has, you've changed your mind? You think peace is still possible?"

"The Frisk I know would never give up! I'm sure there's a way to end the fighting! After all, we've stopped it before, so…"

She immediately stopped talking. She wasn't ready to break his heart just yet.

Frisk looked confused at first, but then he found his own explanation. "You mean the first war? Sure, it stopped, by imprisoning every single monster underground! Humans have made us suffer for too long! I hate them! I wish they would all just drop dead!"

 _Wait… made US suffer?_

Chara took another look at the battlefield, and she realized there were many more dead humans than dead monsters. The monsters were winning. That could only mean one thing.

"…You're not Frisk…"

She could see how fake "Frisk's" confusion was. "Chara, what are you taking about? Of course it's me!"

"How much longer are you going to lie to yourself, Chara?"

After a brief pause, the other Chara started laughing. "Well, that's me! Ever perceptive!"

Gaster was lying. He was trying to trick her into believing that every timeline ended in war, even Pacifist timelines, but this was NOT a Pacifist timeline. This was a Soulless timeline, where Frisk reaches LV 20 and Chara takes their SOUL.

 _Wait a minute… if she's me, then that means… I kissed myself…?_

 _EW! GROSS!_

"You're disgusting!" Chara yelled.

"And here I thought you would believe anything Frisk told you," the other Chara said. "Perhaps you're not as far gone as I thought."

"Let Frisk go!" Chara demanded.

"Whatever happened to you?" the other Chara asked. "You know what we need to do. First, Asriel betrayed you, and now you've betrayed yourself!"

"NO! YOU betrayed the monsters by leading them into an unnecessary war!"

"IT WAS INEVITABLE!" the other Chara shouted. "Why don't you believe that anymore?! Frisk has blinded you!"

"No, it's not! They CAN live in peace. They just have to trust each other! Frisk is the hero of humans and monsters!"

"No, Chara. We are! If you continue acting this way, all the monsters in your timeline will die, but it's not too late! Join me! Let us destroy these worthless humans, and move on to the next!"

"Never!"

The other Chara laughed. "Well, I guess there's only one thing to do now!" The other Chara pulled out her knife and made her creepy face.

Chara shuddered. _Oh God, is that what I've been doing to people? That IS terrifying!_

The other Chara's knife was nearly identical to her own, except it had seen much more use and was stained with blood. The thought of all the people it must have killed sent a chill down Chara's spine.

Trying to ignore her fear, she drew her own knife. "So be it."

Chara stopped thinking of her as another Chara. She was simply an enemy.

The enemy lunged at Chara and slashed at her head. Chara ducked and countered with a shower of energy knives, but the enemy blocked them with a barrier. Chara immediately followed up her attack with her real knife and tore the enemy's barrier apart, and then she turned her SOUL blue and knocked her down.

Chara had the advantage; she wasn't going to give her a chance to recover. She jumped on top of her and held her knife to her throat.

Frisk's eyes stared at her, the same eyes that had stared at her filled with love. Her knife trembled.

Chara hesitated. She didn't have a problem killing the other Chara, but the other Frisk would die with her.

The other Chara laughed. "Just as I thought! How pathetic!" She stabbed Chara in the leg, and she fell over in pain. In an instant, they traded places. The other Chara now stood over her.

"I can't believe you've become so weak!" the other Chara said. She stroked Chara's cheeks with her knife, just light enough not to cut her. "I'm going to enjoy this one. I usually don't fool around, but just for you, I'm going to take my time. This'll be nice and slow…"

Chara trembled.

 _No, ANYTHING but this! Anything but being killed by HER, inside of HIS body!_

She was face-to-face with her own demon, what she would have become if Frisk and Asriel hadn't stopped her. Nothing in the world was more terrifying. Chara was going to die so far away from Frisk, in an entirely different world. Would Gaster even tell him what happened to her? How long would Frisk search for her, before finally giving up?

"Please," Chara pleaded. "If there is any good left in you, just let me go back home. Frisk needs me."

"Are you seriously BEGGING? You don't deserve my name!"

The other Chara raised her knife, and she plunged it toward her.

* * *

Chara screamed.

"Chara! What's wrong?" Frisk leaped to her side.

 _Huh? What's going on?_

Chara looked around. She was back in her bed in the True Lab.

Frisk held her. "It was another nightmare, wasn't it?"

 _Yes, let's go with that._

But could a nightmare be so bad? She was still shivering _._

"I'm sorry, Frisk. I thought I was done with them. I thought I was stronger."

"It's okay, Chara. You're safe now."

"I'm a demon," she mumbled. "I'm a demon…"

"No, you're not a demon anymore."

"…Anymore…"

"Chara…"

Chara's scream woke up Asriel as well. "Sister, are you okay?"

"Y-yes, brother."

"No, you're not. You look awful."

Undyne and Alphys had woken up too. They walked up to her.

"A nightmare?" Undyne asked. "You're pathetic."

Frisk had it with Undyne. He clenched his fists. "Could you just once, show just a LITTLE respect for her?! Could you just once, TRY to understand her?!"

Undyne remained silent.

"Do you know the first thing she did after we revived you?" Frisk asked. "She tried to kill herself! Why do you need to kill her when she can barely hold on?"

Undyne sighed. "You're right. There would be no honor in killing her."

Frisk was shocked. "Undyne…"

Undyne looked at Chara. "What was this nightmare of yours?"

"Um… I was fighting… myself…" she answered.

"Heh, of course."

Undyne sighed again. "I thought I had to kill her, to make her pay for her crimes, but now I see that she's already paid her price. Maybe she's actually changed."

"Undyne…" Frisk said. "Thank you."

"Who am I to judge her?" Undyne asked herself. "Chara killed six people. I killed… quite a bit more than six. Not even 'eye for an eye' justifies that. I did exactly what Chara wanted me to do. I lead the monsters into a war against Asgore's wishes. I could have stopped them, but instead I let my anger get the better of me. There's no excuse for what I've done."

"No, Undyne," Chara said. "You're right to blame me. I made it impossible for you to trust humans."

"No, it's my fault!" Frisk insisted. "I taught Chara that genocide was the solution to her problems! How could she possibly trust humans after I showed her that a single human child could kill every last monster?"

"Heh," Undyne laughed. "Is this what you do all day? Insist that everything is all your own fault?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Asriel said.

"Well, in that case…"

Undyne jumped right in front of Frisk.

"FRISK! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

She jumped in front of Chara.

"CHARA! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

She jumped in between them.

"HOWEVER! I will forgive you! If you give me and Alphys new SOULs!"

"Y-yes, of course!" Frisk said.

"GOOD! Because Alphys and I have been VERY depressed without SOULs! You understand why we need them, yes?"

"Of course!" Chara assured her.

"And get us both back in our own bodies! Seriously, why did you have to shove us both into the same body? IT'S WEIRD! I want to be close to her, but not THAT close!"

"We will!" Frisk told her.

"FUHUHU! When Alphys and I are back to normal, we are going to smooch all day long!"

"U-Undyne!" Alphys stammered.

Frisk blushed. "Uh… that's great, but you don't have to tell us about that…"

"Oh, don't be so embarrassed, Frisk!" Undyne exclaimed. "You're old enough! I'm sure you and Chara have done some stuff!"

Chara blushed. "H-hey!"

"Ha! You HAVE!"

Both Frisk and Chara held their heads down in embarrassment.

"W-well…" Alphys said. "I think it's a good ship, actually. I call it… Charisk!"

"Hey, me too!" Napstablook declared.

Frisk laughed. "Thanks… I think."

"Now, don't get me wrong…"

Undyne wrapped her vines around Chara's neck and lifted her out of the bed.

"UNDYNE!" Frisk and Asriel shouted.

"If you don't give us those SOULs, I'll still kill you! After all, I could do it with no regrets! I could kill anyone! You, Frisk, Asriel, Toriel, Asgore, even poor Napstablook. I wouldn't feel a thing! So, you better do something about that! GOT IT?"

"Y-yes," Chara wheezed.

Undyne smiled. "I'm glad we understand each other!"

Chara heard something. It sounded like something dripping.

Frisk gasped.

Asriel raised his vines. "UNDYNE…!"

"It wasn't me!" Undyne yelled.

Chara was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Chara…" Frisk said. 'Your leg…"

Chara looked down. Her leg was bleeding profusely from the same spot where she had been stabbed. She hadn't been dreaming. Her little adventure with Gaster was real.

How did she not notice the burning pain? She winced at the sudden realization.

"MOM!" Frisk called out.

Toriel came over immediately. "Oh my God!" She cradled Chara in her vines. "There, there, my child. Don't worry, I've got you." She used her healing magic, and Chara's wound was gone.

"Thank you, mother!" Frisk exclaimed.

"Of course, my child."

"Wait a minute," Asriel said. "If she can heal that wound, why can't she heal the wound on her hand?"

"I don't know," Toriel admitted.

Gaster appeared out of nowhere. "Because it was dealt by an amalgamate, an incorporeal entity. Such attacks cut straight into the SOUL, and only one's own determination can heal it."

"GET AWAY FROM US!" Chara screamed. She readied an energy knife.

"Chara, did he do that to you?" Frisk asked.

Chara nodded. "It wasn't a nightmare. He took me to another timeline. That timeline's version of me started a full-scale war. He told me it was a Pacifist timeline, but I saw through his lies."

Frisk glared at Gaster. "Why? Why would you do that to her?!"

"I had to make sure she was truly one of the good ones," Gaster answered. He looked at Chara. "Congratulations, you've passed my test. Not every Chara does, and I must say, you put on a particularly good show!"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Chara asked.

"I cannot waste my time and resources saving a timeline that will just be destroyed right after," Gaster said. "When a timeline's Chara claims to have changed, I always have to make sure."

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" Asriel shouted. "Just give us a straight answer! Are you evil or not?!"

"Truthfully, I don't even know anymore," Gaster answered.

"GOD DAMN IT!"

Chara was just as frustrated as Asriel. Gaster was responsible for the destruction of her village, but on the other hand, he had played an instrumental role in stopping her war. He also gave her a new SOUL. Because of him, she was able to spend more time with Frisk and Asriel. Chara didn't know what to make of Gaster.

"You don't have to trust me," Gaster astutely said. "But, as for every Chara that passes my test, I offer a gift."

He summoned a Gaster capsule (the same device Asgore used to store the human SOULs). There was a gray heart inside, a monster SOUL.

"I'll be damned…" Gerson said.

"Chara," Gaster said. "I give you one unclaimed monster SOUL. Use it wisely."

Chara took it. Her own SOUL raced. Finally, she could save at least one person.

She didn't even care where it came from.

"Ultimately," Gaster said. "You will decide for yourselves what the fate of this world will be. Just know that I will be watching, with unusual attention. I rather like Charisk." And with that, Gaster vanished.

"One thing hasn't changed…" Alphys said. "He's always been cryptic."

"That guy's a creep!" Undyne complained. "I've never met anyone so shifty!"

"I'm sorry," Purple apologized. "I had no idea he was going to do anything like that."

Frisk smiled at Chara. "I'm so proud of you."

"Huh? What for?"

"You really stood up to that other version of yourself, and don't let her get to you. That other Frisk wasn't me, so that other Chara wasn't you either."

"But… she was so evil! She didn't have any regrets. She ENJOYED killing all those people! And I wasn't much different from her!"

"No. You only pretended to enjoy it. It was a coping mechanism. You were trying to distance yourself, but when even Asgore refused to hate you, you couldn't do it anymore. You were never like her, and you never will be."

"I don't know. I definitely wasn't the greatest person."

Frisk sighed. "Honestly, you weren't. You did terrible things, but you're different now! There's one thing Gaster said that I fully believe: you ARE a good person!" Frisk hugged her. "I love you..."

Yes, this was the real Frisk. This was her Frisk, the one she loved. He would never betray her, even after everything she had done.

Chara hugged him back. "I love you too."

"Hey, Frisk…" Undyne said. "That seems like a REALLY high maintenance relationship you've got there!"

"…Pfft…"

Chara couldn't help but laugh.

"AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Frisk smiled. "Chara…?"

"S-sorry…! Ah, yes, it IS high maintenance, isn't it? Frisk, I would apologize, but I think you actually like it that way!"

"Well, I do like helping people," Frisk said. "Especially you…"

She blushed. "Aw, Frisk…"

"E-excuse me," Alphys cut in. "But we have an important decision to make here!"

Alphys was right. Getting a SOUL was amazing, but they only had one. How could Chara pick a single person to save? It was a difficult decision.

"Frisk, what do we do?"

"Undyne," Frisk said. "What about you, or Alphys?"

"I'm not getting a SOUL until Alphys gets one!" Undyne declared.

"And I won't accept a SOUL before Undyne!" Alphys said.

Frisk looked at Asriel.

"Brother…" Chara said. "I could finally see your true self again…"

Asriel looked torn for a moment, but then he gave a look of refusal. "Believe me, I REALLY want it, but do you realize how selfish that would look?"

Chara sighed. "I guess it would."

"But, who DO we give it to?" Frisk asked.

Toriel and Asgore were out of the question. They would demand that Asriel should get it.

"What about Mettaton?" Chara suggested.

"Maybe," Frisk said. "But not now. We should let him decide if he wants to accept it or not."

"I say we hold on to it," Asriel said. "We'll present it at the Monthly Address. We'll let them decide."

"You think they'll just let us in?" Frisk asked.

"They will when they see this."

"…Okay, we'll decide what to do with it later… is everyone okay with that?"

Everyone agreed.

Chara stored the SOUL safely in her dimensional box. It was painful to simply put away the thing that all of Frisk's friends and family desperately needed, but hopefully it would pay off later.

"Well… now that we've sorted that out," Alphys said. "We really should get back to work on Mettaton."

"Maybe we'll remove the machine gun turrets…" Undyne said.

"And the sword…" Alphys said.

"No! Not the…" Undyne sighed. "Alright…"

Napstablook floated over Mettaton's body.

"I can't wait to see you again, cousin. I hope you don't mind being woken up from the dead. Sorry if we're disturbing your peaceful rest. Actually… you don't have to come back if you don't want to. I understand if you don't want to see me. Sorry if I made you feel obligated…"

"Sorry…"

* * *

 **"(Metallic cough)"**

 **-Mettaton**


	23. Rebuilt

_Starting metaOS…_

 _Running hardware diagnostics…_

 _Head… operational._

 _Body… operational._

 _Arms… operational._

 _Legs… perfect._

 _Connecting to user…_

 _WARNING: SOUL not detected!_

 _Attempting to establish Essence interface…_

 _Essence link established. User successfully logged in. Welcome back, Hapstablook!_

 _Mettaton… ONLINE._

What did Frisk mean by that?

 _If only you remembered the things Frisk did._

Why would Frisk talk in third person? And was he suggesting that his memory had been tampered with? Impossible. He wasn't a normal machine. His memory was stored in his Essence, just like any other person. No one could just shift-delete his memory away. Nothing about that line made sense. Unless, it wasn't Frisk who said it. He was right all along; the killer wasn't Frisk! But, there was still the question of what he had forgotten.

 _Activating optical and auditory devices…_

Mettaton's senses returned, and he was in Alphys's True Lab. Several people were looking at him: Two humans he had never seen before, Gerson, some kind of flower people, Frisk, and a human girl who looked somewhat similar to Frisk.

Who were these three humans? They looked familiar.

 _Running facial recognition…_

He could have just asked, but where was the fun in that? Organics took too long.

 _Subject identified: Purple. A scientist who traveled underground for research purposes, where her SOUL was captured by Asgore. After the destruction of the Mount Ebott barrier, she played an instrumental role in defeating the Demon, Chara. Her revival is undocumented._

Chara? Asgore and Toriel's adopted daughter? How? She had died tragically long ago.

The next human, Green, yielded a similar entry.

The Frisk-lookalike, was that Chara?

 _ALERT: wanted criminal detected! Informing authorities!_

 _I guess so._

Mettaton noticed the sweater she was wearing. It looked just like the green and yellow-striped sweater that Frisk was wearing when he was killing everyone. She must have been one hell of an actress to fool him. She already looked quite a bit like Frisk. Maybe with the right make-up… no, how could she have looked EXACTLY like Frisk? Perhaps she used some kind of magic. Yes, that had to be it!

In any case, she was obviously the one responsible for all the murders. Mettaton knew what he had to do.

 _Weapon systems… OFFLINE._

 _Damn it!_

Well, there had to be a reason why she was allowed to stand there unharmed.

 _Alright, I suppose it's time to grace my audience with my attention._

Mettaton reduced his processing speed closer to an organic's level.

"Hello, beauties!"

"Mettaton!" one of the flowers exclaimed. "You're back! Can you hear me?"

Was that… Alphys?

Mettaton hid his confusion. "Loud and clear, darling! Now, without further ado, welcome to today's quiz show!"

Mettaton played his quiz show fanfare.

Alphys looked confused. "Mettaton…?"

"Now, for our first question! Why the HELL is Chara standing there and not being killed?"

"Wh-what?" Frisk asked. "We didn't even tell you about her yet…"

 _Come on, there's gotta be something I can use…_

 _Zapper… ONLINE._

Mettaton zapped Frisk. He cried out in pain.

"Frisk-darling, what kind of answer was that?" Mettaton asked. "I'll give you one more shot…"

"Okay!" Frisk said. "Yes, she was the killer. She was controlling my body, but she's different now!"

 _Different, huh? What does it matter? She started a war!_

"A questionable answer to my question!" Mettaton remarked. "However, I'll spare you the zapper for now! Our next question is for Alphys! Alphys-darling, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!"

"Uh… I kind of died…" Alphys answered.

"Fascinating! And was Chara the killer?"

"No, it was humans, actually."

"Humans, huh? Yes, because of a war that Chara started. And how did you end up in a flower?"

"Frisk and Chara revived me, but they didn't have any SOULs. This was the best they could do."

"And it was Chara's idea!" Frisk added.

Mettaton didn't know what to make of this. Why would a killer revive the people she killed? It didn't make sense.

"You know what? Just because I don't like her…" Mettaton zapped Chara.

Chara writhed in pain.

"Mettaton…!" Frisk yelled.

Mettaton was determined to make sense of at least one thing. "Frisk! Screaming is against the rules! Here's another question for you! Shortly before the death of everyone's favorite star, Chara implied that I had forgotten something, something you had done. What was this thing she spoke of?"

Frisk froze.

"Time's running out!" Mettaton announced.

"Mettaton… I'm sorry…"

Mettaton powered up his zapper. "Time's…"

One of the flowers wrapped its vines around him and squeezed tight. Mettaton was lifted right up to it.

"Enough of your stupid show!" it said. "Look, you're going to hear a lot of things you're not going to like, but at least give Frisk and Chara a chance to finish before electrocuting them!"

 _Running voice recognition…_

 _Subject identified: Asriel Dreemurr. Wanted for protecting the Demon and obstruction of justice._

 _WHAT?!_

Asriel too? Everyone was rising from the grave! This was worse than his zombie show: _The Walking Mettaton_! How was this possible? Was this the power of that… De-Termination stuff that Alphys was always talking about? The power to be… unterminated…?

Asriel squeezed tighter.

"Y-you're a forceful little prince, aren't you?" Mettaton asked him.

"Mettaton…" Napstablook said.

 _Wait, how long has Blooky been here? They've always been so easy to miss!_

"Oh, hey Blooky!" Mettaton greeted his cousin.

"Mettaton, I would really like it if you just listened to what they have to say."

Mettaton let out a metallic sigh. "Alright."

"Thank you, cousin!"

He turned off his fanfare. "I'll shut up and listen for now."

Mettaton listened to a tale so outlandish that even he couldn't have written it. They told him everything, from a previous timeline where Frisk killed everyone to bring Chara back from the dead, to their meeting with the old Royal Scientist Gaster and his plan to create replacement SOULs using a LV 20 monster SOUL. Throughout the whole story, Frisk and Asriel insisted that Chara wasn't the immoral killer that she appeared to be, at least not anymore. They tried to explain that she believed her actions were necessary to save the monster race from destruction by humanity at some point in the future.

Saving the monster race… by killing them and provoking a war. Mettaton supposed it wasn't an entirely unreasonable motivation. It took almost every single monster SOUL in existence just to match the power of a single human SOUL, so all it took were two human SOULs to attain more SOUL power than the combined SOUL power of every monster alive. In terms of determination, the monsters were outmatched billions of times over. Given that the humans had attacked the monsters unprovoked once before, it was understandable not to trust them.

Still, the sheer strength of humanity was exactly why they couldn't provoke them. Peace was the only way to ensure the safety of monsters against such power, and Chara had threatened that peace. Mettaton couldn't forgive her for that.

Did he have the right to judge her though? Mettaton was guilty of somewhat similar sins. Back when the barrier was intact, he had tried to murder Frisk to stop Asgore's plan and save humanity, but that wasn't nearly as bad as what Chara had done. He tried to kill a single person; Chara tried to start a war that would have claimed millions of lives.

Although… If Mettaton had taken the SOULs and abandoned the underground as he planned, the underground would have fallen into despair. Not to brag, but he was by far the underground's biggest celebrity and greatest source of hope. Losing him, Frisk, and the six SOULs would have destroyed them. Mettaton imagined that the underground's overcrowding problem wouldn't have lasted much longer, all in the name of expanding his audience.

He also would have abandoned Napstablook… again.

That said, his mistakes did not allow him to overlook Chara's mistakes. He still wasn't convinced that she deserved to keep breathing.

"Alright, Blooky," Mettaton said. "I've heard them out, but I still just can't see Chara as a good person."

"W-well… I do…" Napstablook said.

"Blooky, do you realize what she's done? She started a war that killed hundreds. When she was controlling Frisk, the body count rose faster than in _Game of Mettatons_!"

"I… I know…"

"Then…?"

"Everything about her story breaks my heart. She was rejected by her own family…"

 _Family… is Blooky…?_

"This rejection is what drove her underground," Napstablook continued. "When she fell and almost died, she desperately held on to her hope and called for help, and somebody came. She found a new family, and she loved her family. She loved her family so much, that she was willing to do anything for them."

 _NO…! Blooky…_

"She was even willing to die a slow, agonizing death by poison, and she was willing to never see her family again, all to make their wishes come true."

They probably didn't realize it, but Napstablook personally related to Chara's story. Napstablook was abandoned by their entire family; that was why they felt so sorry for her.

Mettaton was almost glad he didn't have a SOUL anymore.

"Blooky… I'm sorry…"

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry for betraying you. I should have at least visited you every now and then, but I was so caught up in my newfound fortune and fame that I almost completely forgot about you. When the others left to be training dummies, I promised that I wouldn't leave you behind, but I didn't keep that promise."

"Mettaton… you're sad. I'm sorry I made you sad…"

 _Damn it, Napstablook._

"Blooky… I'll make it up to you. For you, I'll… trust Chara for now."

Frisk hugged him. "Thank you so much. I know you can't forgive her, but just give her a chance. That's all I ask."

 _Wow, Frisk really cares about his sister._

Even though Chara had been a sociopathic serial killer, Mettaton admired Frisk's brotherly love for her. If only he could do the same for Napstablook. If only he could love his cousin the way Frisk loved Chara, his dear sister. Without his SOUL, Mettaton couldn't truly feel anything for his cousin.

"Thank you, Mettaton," Asriel said. "But there's one more thing we need to tell you."

Chara pulled something out of her dimensional box, a glass capsule containing a gray heart.

Mettaton gasped. "Is that…?"

Chara nodded. "It was a gift from Gaster, for passing his little test."

With this SOUL, Mettaton could care about his family again, but were there others who needed it more?

Mettaton heard the sound of an elevator.

"What… who…?" Frisk muttered.

"Oh… right…" Mettaton said.

"Mettaton, what's going on?" Alphys asked.

"Well… when I woke up… I MAY have ran my facial recognition… and it MAY have contacted someone when it recognized Chara…"

"Alphys!" Undyne shouted. "You didn't disable his network access?!"

"…Opps…"

Chara hid the SOUL in her dimensional box, and they braced for their arrival.

"Don't worry, Blooky." Mettaton said. "I'll tell them you're…"

Napstablook floated through the wall and out of the True Lab.

"Oh, Blooky…" They must have been off to go back to their disguise. Mettaton was so proud of them.

Human soldiers and Royal Guardsman stormed the True Lab. Everyone surrendered.

Lucida walked up to them. "What the hell is this?! Are ALL of you cooperating with the Demon?!"

Nobody answered.

She saw Mettaton. "Thank you, Mettaton. You've done a great service."

He wouldn't be of any use to anyone in a cell. "Why, yes! I kept them all distracted with my dazzling radiance until you arrived!"

"METTATON…!" Asriel tried to raise his vines, but Frisk and Chara restrained him. Not even Mettaton could tell if it was an act or not.

Lucida looked pleased. "To be honest, I've always hated your stupid show, but you've put on a spectacular performance today."

 _Running anger suppressor…_

"I… appreciate that." Mettaton lied.

Lucida gestured towards her knights. "Arrest the others."

Purple, Green, Gerson, Undyne and Alphys, Toriel, Asgore, Frisk, and Chara were all handcuffed or otherwise restrained.

"Green…" Purple said. "This is why I didn't want you to come."

"And this is why I couldn't let you go alone!" Green replied.

"Welp…" is all Gerson had to say.

Lucida looked at Alphys and Undyne. "I thought you were rebuilding Mettaton to KILL the Demon; he doesn't look properly equipped for that. You were supposed to complete his NEO form. That body basically looks the same as his EX form!"

Neither of them responded.

"Which one of you betrayed us?" Lucida asked.

They remained silent.

"Both of you…? Hmph. Undyne, I expected more from my predecessor."

"When I get my SOUL," Undyne said. "I'm going to want that position back."

"Even if you got one, you think they would let you?" Lucida asked. "We remember the role you played in the Demon's scheme. Your hands are not clean either."

Undyne went back to silence.

"Please, Lucida," Toriel said. "Don't hurt my children…"

Lucida violently kicked Toriel. "You're not my queen anymore. You're not even Toriel anymore. You're just a shadow of her, one final sick curse from the Demon."

Mettaton knew that was a lie. He may not have had his SOUL, but he was still Mettaton.

"My daughter is NOT a demon!" Toriel retorted.

"Yeah, well, your 'daughter' killed my sons!" Lucida replied. "You think it's above consequences just because it was your child?"

As Lucida and Toriel argued, the guardsmen began disarming their prisoners. They took away everyone's cellphones, and they took Frisk and Chara's knives.

"Hey, what's this?" a Royal Guardsman asked. He grabbed a heart-shaped locket that Chara was wearing around her neck.

"Don't touch that!" Chara shouted.

"Looks like a defense amulet," the guard commented. "And a rather powerful one at that." He pulled the locket off of Chara. "Mine now."

Chara looked like she was going to cry. "No, give it back! Please…!"

"You won't be needing at anymore."

Mettaton couldn't believe it; Chara actually cried. How could someone like her be sentimental over something like that?

"Crying already?" Lucida asked. "We haven't even started yet."

"What are you talking about?!" Frisk asked. "Whatever happened to just killing her?"

"'Oh, believe me. I want to," Lucida answered. "And it _will_ die. But first, we have something even better in mind."

Were they going to torture her? Even for Chara, that seemed unnecessarily cruel. They could have at least given her the mercy of a quick death. Frisk, Asriel, Toriel, and Asgore all looked horrified.

"Take them away," Lucida ordered.

They were escorted out of the True Lab.


	24. Death

Lucida and her guardsmen were escorting their prisoners through downtown Ebott City to the dungeons in Really New Home. It was a great day. Soon, the Demon would pay for its sins. The crowd cheered as they moved through the city. The Demon pretended to be saddened by the crowd's rightful hatred. Could a demon feel shame…? No, of course not. It was some kind of last, desperate attempt at saving its own life. Lucida couldn't believe how many people had fallen for it. Underneath all the applause, Lucida could hear murmurs in the crowd. Ever since the attack on Ebott Village, some people were starting to wonder if the Demon was truly as bad as they had thought, and seeing all these people arrested for siding with the Demon only intensified their curiosity.

How DID the Demon gain control over so many? The same humans who had helped defeat it were on its side. Gerson, a former hero, was on its side. Even Frisk, who Lucida once thought the world of, was not only on its side but IN LOVE with it! What was wrong with him? Frisk probably could have gotten any girl he wanted, so why did he insist on loving a mass murderer?

The only people Lucida could have forgiven for sympathizing with that thing were Asgore and Toriel (not that they were really Asgore and Toriel). Lucida knew what it was like to have children. Sans and Papyrus had meant everything to her. Lucida knew that Sans had never trusted humanity. If Sans had done something similar to what the Demon had done, would she have hated him as much as she hated the Demon?

…It didn't matter. The Demon killed her children, and that was unforgivable. Those… flowers, they weren't them. Her sons were dead, by the Demon's hands. It didn't matter if it felt sorry. She was going to make the Demon suffer for every last person it killed, and every last family it had torn apart.

"Uh… Captain…?" a guard said. "Forgive me, but you look... uh… a little upset…"

Another guard shushed him. "Both of her kids were personally killed by the Demon itself, of course she's upset."

"…Killing Chara won't bring them back," Frisk said.

Lucida struck Frisk across his face. "I know that."

"…But she might be able to, if you would just listen."

She hit him again with her armored fist. "Do you think murder has no consequences?! DEAD IS DEAD! When someone dies, they don't come back!"

Frisk didn't even seem phased by her attacks, despite being bloodied. "You're right; death is permanent. People can't be brought back from the dead. Yet, Chara was supposedly dead, but now she's alive. The same can happen for Sans and Papyrus, as long as their Essences still burn. Don't you see? They're _not_ dead. They never truly died. They can still be saved, as long as we all stay determined."

Why…? Why was he doing this? Was there no end to his cruelty? She hit him harder. "N-no… my sons are DEAD! Stop trying to fill me with false hope for my sons who will never be alive again!"

Blood dripped from Frisk's nose and mouth. He was barley holding on. "Th-they're… alive… r-right now. Y-you know… they're your… sons. D-don't… give up on them… "

Lucida struck Frisk with all her might, and he fell over unconscious. The Demon gasped, as if it actually cared about him.

"…Lucida…" the Demon eventually said. "If there was no way to fix what I've done, I would have killed myself already."

Lucida raised her hand to strike, but then she lowered it. "Your punishment will come soon enough."

Lucida looked at Frisk's unconscious body. She sighed. "I'll carry him," she said. She picked him up, and they kept moving.

Frisk was lucky he wasn't going to suffer the same fate as the Demon.

After a little more walking, Lucida heard someone scream.

"SOMEONE'S FALLING!"

Lucida looked up and saw some human kid falling from high up. He must have fallen off of one of the nearby skyscrapers. She dropped Frisk and used her force magic to slow down his descent, but she couldn't slow him down fast enough. The kid was still going to hit the ground too hard.

The Demon somehow broke free of its restraints and casted its own force magic. Was it trying to make him fall faster…? No… it was helping her. The human kid slowed down, and the Demon caught him before he hit the ground.

"Are you okay?" the Demon asked, with well-feigned concern.

The human kid looked terrified and confused. "I… think so."

"Are you sure? I know what it's like to fall like that."

The kid was very confused. "Wh-what happened?"

"You fell, kid," Lucida bluntly told him. The kid looked about ten years old. Where were his parents? "Be more careful," she said. "Your parents must be worried sick."

"But… I… how did I get here…?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Last thing I remember, my SOUL was absorbed by Undyne, and then there were all these explosions. Next thing I knew, I was falling. That was just now, right?"

 _No… impossible…_

"You're dead…" Lucida told him.

"I thought I was," the kid admitted. He looked at his hands "But… I don't feel dead."

"You're dead…" Lucida repeated.

"I want to see my parents. Please, take me to my parents…"

Lucida suppressed a frustrated growl. She gestured to one of her guardsmen. "Take him to his family."

"Yes, Captain." The guard began to take him away.

"My parents are gonna kill me," the kid said. "They always told me never to wander off." The kid was led back to his family.

This couldn't have been a coincidence. Was Lucida really expected to believe that a kid just happened to fall from the sky while they were finally bringing the Demon to justice? No. This was part of some plan. It was some kind of trick. It must have been the work of Gaster, that traitorous scum. Lucida didn't know why he was defending the Demon, but she wasn't going to fall for it.

 _Heh, FALL for it…_

… _Sans…_

As much as she wished otherwise, those flowers were not her children. Death couldn't be taken so lightly. When someone was dead, they were dead. The Demon was dead too. If Chara was ever a good person, it didn't matter, because the Demon wasn't Chara. Chara was dead; she had died long ago. Unlike Toriel's shadow, Lucida knew that her children were gone.

It didn't even matter if it really could bring her sons back. The Demon was going to pay. Could a demon feel pain? They were going to find out soon. Lucida and her guardsmen continued marching towards Really New Home.

* * *

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel were thrown into a cell together inside the Really New Home dungeon. The guards locked them in without saying a word.

"Do whatever you want to us," Frisk told the guards. "Just don't hurt the others."

The guards remained silent and walked away.

Chara looked at Frisk's bruised face. "I can't believe she did that to you!"

Frisk couldn't blame Lucida. "I believe it."

"I really wish I knew healing magic," Chara lamented. "I guess I'm not the type of person who would waste time learning something like that. All I know is how to hurt people."

"Chara, come on. I don't know ANY magic. Don't look at it that way, and you know that barrier spell! That's for protecting people!"

Chara sobbed. "This is it, isn't it? We're going to die here."

Frisk sighed. "It looks that way."

"Frisk…" Asriel said. "It's not like you to give up."

"We're at their mercy now," Frisk replied. "And I don't blame them for feeling unmerciful."

"But… what about saving everyone…?"

Frisk didn't say anything. Instead, he buried his face into the stone wall.

"Frisk…" Chara moved behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

He remained silent.

"…The dungeon is cold and uncomfortable," Chara whispered to him. "But you stay determined."

Frisk was confused at first, but then he got it. He managed to smile. "Thanks, Chara. I don't know what I'd do without your narration powers."

Chara hugged him. "That's what I'm here for. I will always take care of you."

"At least they were kind enough to put us in the same cell," Frisk remarked.

Chara nodded.

Frisk couldn't waste what could very well be his last moments with Chara and Asriel. "…Before they take us away… do either of you have anything you want to say?"

"Just that I love you, Frisk," Chara said.

"I love you too, Chara," Frisk replied.

Chara let go of Frisk and patted Asriel. "I love you too, brother. Sorry, even now, we're treating you like a third wheel, aren't we?"

"No, it's okay," Asriel said.

"Asriel," Frisk said. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you." Frisk looked at Chara. "Um… sorry… but do you mind if we talk in private?"

"Wh-what? What could you possibly…? Oh… alright, anything for you." Chara moved away from them.

"Asriel…" Frisk whispered. "I'm just gonna come out and say this. Do you… have feelings for Chara?"

"Of course," Asriel answered. "She's my sister."

"Um… that's not what I meant…"

It took Asriel a while, but he eventually got it. "Oh… heh… I guess I did make it seem that way, didn't I? But no, Frisk. Unlike you, I don't have a romantic interest in my sister."

"H-hey…!"

"What? It's true!"

"But if you don't… then why have you been so defensive lately? Your reactions seem a bit more serious than brotherly concern!"

Asriel sighed. "I admit it. I am jealous, but not the way you think. I'm not jealous of your love for Chara. I'm jealous of your ABILITY to love Chara. Do you understand? Loving even my own sister and best friend is something I can no longer do. Every time you show affection for her, it reminds me of what I've lost."

Frisk didn't realize. "Asriel… I'm sorry… I didn't think of it that way."

"Frisk… that's why you can't give up! You HAVE to survive this! You have to find a way to bring our SOULs back! Please… end my suffering. Let me love my family again."

Asriel was right. The situation was grim, but Frisk couldn't lose hope. Even if it was impossible, he had to try and find a way to get through this.

"I'll try, brother," Frisk promised.

Frisk looked at Chara, who was clearly wondering what they were talking about.

"She used to have such a nice smile," Asriel said. "But now she almost never uses it."

"It is," Frisk agreed. "She used to be such a fun-loving person. Even when she was soulless, she constantly made me smile and laugh, but when I RESET and started killing… that changed."

"Yes. Despite being so troubled, Chara always had a way of making us smile. I wonder if people would still think of her as a demon if they knew her back when she drew pictures of flowers and knitted a sweater for Asgore that said 'Mr. Dad Guy.'"

"Heh… maybe… or maybe not…"

"Frisk… if you both get through this… make her happy again. No one thinks she deserves it, including herself, but I think she deserves another chance."

"Yes, she does," Frisk said. "You can come back now," he told Chara.

"Dirty sister lover," Asriel whispered to Frisk, mocking Sans.

"Shut up."

Chara approached them. Frisk wrapped his arms around her, and they held each other affectionately. Chara was so warm...

"Chara, I don't want to lose you," Frisk whispered.

Chara started cryiing.

"Chara…"

"Frisk… I… I don't want to die anymore! I want to be with you! I want to be with you forever! I know I am the last person to deserve it, but I almost don't care anymore!"

Frisk had always tried to be strong for her, but he also couldn't hold back his tears. "I don't want you to die, either!"

"Frisk… why couldn't we have met back in my village? If I had met you back then, I never would have hated humanity." Chara gave a quiet laugh underneath her crying. "You probably would have given my parents an earful! If anyone could have convinced them to accept me, it would have been you. And then we could have lived a normal life together, and no one would have died because of me."

"I would have liked that, Chara."

Although, if that had happened, Frisk never would have met all his other friends from underground, and the barrier may have never been broken, unless someone else came to help. But, perhaps that would have been for the best. Maybe the next human to fall underground would have been content with saving an entire race instead of going on a genocidal rampage just to save two more people.

Chara sensed Frisk's guilt. "Hey… can you promise me something? If they kill me, but let you live, you won't give up. You will find a way to save everyone. You will do your best to correct my mistakes, and you will keep living."

Frisk didn't say anything.

"Frisk… please… promise me…"

No wonder Sans hated making promises…

"PROMISE ME!"

Frisk sobbed. "…Okay… even if you die… I won't give up."

"And…?"

"I'll… I'll keep living."

Chara breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Frisk. Thank you for loving a demon like me."

"Chara…"

Chara smiled again. "I'm so sorry, Frisk! I'm an emotional wreck, aren't I? Even you must be getting sick of it by now!"

"It's okay. You've been through so much. Honestly, I don't think you'd be human if you didn't cry over it.

"Alright, Frisk. You made me a promise, so it's only fair that I make you one. If by some miracle I survive this, then I will do my best to be my cheerful old self again, but in the far more likely event that I die, I will think of you and my family… and I will die happy."

Frisk wiped away a tear. "I… guess that's the best I can ask for."

Chara sat down on the floor. Frisk sat down next to her and put his arm around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Frisk..." Chara whispered. "I will try to survive if I can."

"Thank you..."

Knowing that, despite everything, Chara was clinging to her hope... filled Frisk with determination.

And so they waited for their judgement.

* * *

" **Young one, when I look at you... I'm reminded of the human that fell here long ago... You have the same feeling of hope in your eyes."**

 **-Asgore Dreemurr**


	25. And Everybody Came

The next day, Royal Guardsmen unlocked their cell. Lucida entered. She grabbed Chara and dragged her outside, and then she locked the cell door again.

Frisk grabbed the bars of the door. "Lucida! Please! If you're going to kill her, just kill her! Don't you think she's at least earned that?"

Lucida didn't say a word. She just kept dragging Chara away.

In case this was the last time she would see Frisk, Chara smiled at him. She wanted her last look at him to be at least a little happy. With great difficulty, Frisk smiled back.

 _Thank you, Frisk._

Chara was pulled around a corner, and Frisk's smile probably disappeared as soon as he was out of her sight. Lucida took Chara to a courtyard and chained her to a wall.

"I hope you enjoy this," Chara said. "No, really. You're right. I deserve this."

"Oh, I won't be the one doing it," Lucida told her.

"Some expert then?"

"No, yet I can't think of anyone better."

"Who…?"

Several people came into the room. This crowd consisted of both humans and monsters. They formed a line in front of Chara. They were so many of them that the line had to extend beyond the courtyard.

Chara's eyes widened.

"Yes, Demon," Lucida said. "For your punishment, we've invited anyone and everyone who wishes for revenge against you. Whether they've lost someone dear to them or just want you to suffer for what you've done, they will all be given a minute to do whatever they want to you. As you can see, there is quite the line."

"They'll kill me in seconds…" Chara muttered.

"Sorry, Demon, but you won't have it that easy. You will be watched by several expert healers. The human army was even kind enough to supply us with some liquid determination, so they really can do just about anything they want without fear of ending you prematurely. You will constantly be pushed to your limit, but every time you feel the sweet release of death approaching, it will be denied. You are going to feel the pain of every last person you have hurt."

Even Chara, who had witnessed so much death, was impressed.

"…You really hate me that much?" Chara asked. "Ah, who am I kidding? Of course you do. I tried to make you hate an entire race, and now all that hatred is rightfully focused on me. No torture you can come up with will be enough to make up for what I've done."

"We shall see." Lucida gestured towards her guardsmen. "Let's get started. Do make sure she doesn't die just yet. This isn't even the best part…"

The first person was an adult human. He brandished a knife in his hand. "Hey, Demon. I heard you like knives, so… yeah."

The human stabbed Chara in the gut. She winced as the human twisted the knife inside her. Once he was satisfied with that, he pulled out the knife and rapidly stabbed her in the chest several times. Chara felt several warm streams trickle down her body, and she already started to feel her SOUL breaking.

"That's enough!" a guardsman yelled. "Thank you, sir. You've done your part."

"Th-thank you for this opportunity!" The man tried to look grateful, but he was clearly shaken by the experience.

The guardsmen healed Chara's wounds, and she quickly recovered. Although her wounds had healed, the pain was still there.

"Next!"

Another human was next. He pulled out a pistol and aimed at Chara's head.

"DIE DEMON!"

Lucida sent him flying into her, and she grabbed him by the neck.

"Its life is not yours to take."

Lucida threw him into the wall. "Get him out of here," she ordered. The assassin was forcefully removed from the courtyard.

"Next person who tries that gets arrested!" Lucida announced. "How did he sneak that in?!" she asked her guardsmen. "Be more careful!"

"Yes, Captain! It won't happen again!"

"Anything they want, huh?" Chara commented.

"Shut up!" Lucida yelled.

"Aw, you do care," Chara quipped.

"NEXT!" Lucida shouted.

The next person was a monster. It was Tsunderplane.

"It's not like I… no… I'm not Tsunderplane anymore. I'm Yanderjet!"

Yanderjet drove its tip into Chara's stomach. She coughed up blood as metal drilled into her.

"Excellent, Tsunderplane," Lucida commended. The guardsmen prepared Chara for the next torturer.

"Next!"

Chara was tortured by dozens of humans and monsters. She knew what to expect from the humans. Many of them brought knives, but some opted to simply beat her. The latter was probably the wiser choice. Most of the knife wielders looked sick afterwards. It must have been hard to still see her as a demon after cutting her open and making her cry out in pain, despite her best efforts not to.

The monsters were a different story. Their magical abilities made for a much different torture experience. Chara was subjected to every kind of pain imaginable. She was burned, frozen, electrocuted, bitten, mauled… the monsters had just about everything. Chara didn't know monsters could be so cruel. For the first time, monsters seemed like monsters in the traditional sense, like savage beasts. That said, most of them did look just as shaken up as the knife-wielding humans afterward, if not more.

The pain was excruciating. Chara still felt the connection to Frisk's SOUL. She considered retreating to it.

...No, she couldn't. These people had a right to revenge. Chara had to face the people she hurt, and she was going to feel all the pain she had caused.

"Next!"

* * *

From above the courtyard, Napstablook…

No, they weren't cowardly little Napstablook right now. He was Robin, the brave and strong knight who was going to change everyone's mind about Chara.

From above the courtyard, Robin watched Chara get tortured. Chara's entire body was soaked in her own blood. Robin had never before witnessed anything so barbaric. It wasn't justice. It was just pure hatred, and nothing good would come of it.

"This is wrong…" Robin said aloud.

The other guardsmen shot him dissenting glances.

"Careful, Robin," a middle-aged knight known as Guardsman 76 warned. "This pro-Demon attitude of yours is going to get you in serious trouble."

"Look at her," Robin commanded. "What do you see down there?"

"A demon being brought to justice," 76 answered.

"All I see is a fourteen year old girl being beaten near death over and over. Not even a demon deserves that."

"That massive line of people seems to disagree."

"Are you sure? Look again."

The next would-be torturer got sick simply by looking at Chara. The sight and smell of all that blood grossed him out so much that he couldn't do it. After a harsh scolding from Lucida, the man forfeited his place in the line and ran into a corner to vomit. It was so bad that the guardsmen had to thoroughly clean Chara to prepare her for the next torturer.

"But… that thing… killed people… and made us kill each other. Why would anyone be sickened by its suffering?"

"Don't you see?" Robin asked. "Chara brought out the demon in all of us. By doing this, we are no better than she was."

Chara screamed as the next torturer burned her with fire magic.

"Remember that locket you took?" Robin asked. "Did you see what was written on it?"

76 pulled out Chara's locket and read the inscription.

 _Best friends forever._

"…Why would she cry over this?" 76 asked.

"Because she's not a demon. She's a person, just like us," Robin answered.

76 looked at the agony on Chara's face.

"…You're right…" 76 conceded. "We're all demons now."

"Yes," Robin said. "We can't blame everything on her. Chara may have killed six people, but the hundreds of others was our own doing. And when she dies, what's to stop us from killing even more?"

"...I'm not old enough to have fought in the first war," 76 said. "But I do remember when Chara and Asriel died. We hated humans so much after that happened. Even after imprisoning us underground, the humans took everything from us. If we could have broken the barrier right at that moment, it definitely would have been war. I think some of that sentiment never truly died. If we had harbored no hate for humanity, Chara's plan never would have worked."

"Thank you," Robin said. "I know that was a hard thing to say. It can be so much easier to blame others than to blame yourself."

76 chuckled. "You know, Robin. People have been saying that you're really Napstablook just because you're both ethereal monsters who defend the Demon, but I know that's impossible. You have way too much backbone to be Napstablook!"

"…Yeah," Robin said.

* * *

Chara continued to endure her torture. It seemed to get easier. It wasn't because she was getting insensitive to the pain, but rather it seemed that the torturers were getting gentler. The longer the torture went on, the more uneasy the crowd became. They couldn't stomach it much longer.

The next torturer, a young adult human, knelled down to Chara's level.

"Why did you do it?" he asked.

Chara was surprised. None of them had wanted to actually talk to her.

"YOU HEARD THE RULES!" Lucida shouted. "No sympathizing with it!"

The human knocked Lucida to the ground with magic.

"Captain!"

With a swipe of his hand, the human sent all of the guardsmen in front of him flying. The rest cowered in fear. No wonder the monsters couldn't take a single human SOUL in the first war.

"I asked you a question," the human told Chara.

"I… I wanted monsters to conquer humanity," Chara answered.

"And why is that?"

"You just demonstrated exactly why."

"Heh, I suppose I did. Yes, we've slaughtered and imprisoned monsters once before. Who's to say we weren't going to do it again?"

"Exactly… but I don't think that anymore. The war actually showed me the good in humanity. There were many who fought hard to stop the war, and they did."

"Yes, the two races are extremely different, so it's understandable to be wary of conflict. But, we should always hope for peace. I don't condone your actions, but I think I understand you and why it made sense to you."

The human turned and began walking away.

"Th-that's it?!" Lucida asked.

The human exited the courtyard.

"Whatever! Next!" Lucida shouted.

"I… don't want to anymore," the next person in line said.

"She's suffered enough," another person in line said.

"Just kill her already."

"She's just a kid."

"Not even she deserves this."

"My brother wouldn't have wanted this."

The people in line started to disperse. The vast majority left. Only the most hateful remained.

"W-well… get on with it!" Lucida said.

These people were among the most brutal of the torturers, but it would be over soon.

The next person was a monster. She looked familiar. She was orange, had spikes on her head, and did not have any arms.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked Chara.

"…Your Monster Kid's mother, aren't you?"

"Very good."

"I murdered your son personally. I can't imagine how much you hate me."

Monster Kid's mother gave a polite yet sinister smile. "I happen to be a teacher, and I know all about your time underground. I know that Asgore once suffered an 'accident' where he was poisoned by buttercup flowers in a pie. Heh, that was no accident, was it?"

"N-no, it WAS an accident! I swear! I really thought that was the recipe! I didn't know they were poisonous!"

"Well… in any case, you suffered an illness shortly after, and the symptoms of this illness were awfully similar to Asgore's buttercup poisoning."

"…You're right about that. Yes, I poisoned myself so Asriel could take my SOUL. I had to make up for almost killing Dad! I had to get more SOULs to free everyone and fulfill my destiny!"

"Well, aren't you a little angel?" Monster Kid's mother said in a condescending tone. "You must have gone through a lot of pain for our sakes. I don't think you'll mind reliving it for me."

Since she didn't have arms, a guardsman came to assist her. He was carrying a buttercup flower.

 _N-no… please… not that…_

"One flower won't kill you," Monster Kid's mother said. "But it's just enough to make you suffer for killing my innocent child."

The guardsman shoved the flower down Chara's throat, and she began reliving an agony that extended far beyond the physical pain. It was a bitter reminder of the moment she decided to put her own family in danger for what she mistakenly thought was for the good of all monsters.

Monster Kid's mother gave her polite smile again. "Good day, Chara!" She left the courtyard.

The rest of the torturers were nothing compared to that.

* * *

Frisk sensed it. Through the connection their SOULs shared, Frisk sensed all the pain Chara was going through. He collapsed to his knees.

"Frisk? What's wrong?" Asriel asked.

"She's suffering, Asriel. I can feel it."

"Frisk, don't be so dramatic."

"No, I'm not talking about some stupid romantic sixth sense. I'm talking about the very real and literal connection our SOULs have. I can feel all the pain she's feeling."

Asriel didn't know what to say.

Lucida entered the chamber and unlocked the cell.

"What are doing to her?" Frisk asked.

"Don't you know, Frisk? It's almost time for the Monthly Address. We're just making sure she looks nice and pretty for you. You're both invited."

Frisk had almost forgotten about the Monthly Address. Why was Lucida taking them there? Perhaps getting caught was exactly what they needed.

"Alright then. Let's go."

Royal Guards escorted Frisk and Asriel to a massive auditorium. Hundreds of monsters had gathered there. The Royal theme music was playing. It was called… _King Description_.

 _Damn it, Asgore._

On the stage was Lucida, Sans, Papyrus, Monster Kid, and several Final Froggits. In the crowd, Frisk spotted Asgore, Toriel, and the others who were captured with him.

Lucida began speaking.

"Just two Monthly Addresses ago, our future never looked brighter. We were building a prosperous city above ground and were forming a peaceful alliance with humanity. Just one month later, the Demon destroyed that alliance, but now, we have a chance to rebuild."

Chara was brought onto the stage. Frisk was heartbroken at what he saw. Chara's body was covered in all types of trauma imaginable. She was bruised, cut, burnt, and even looked ill.

"Today," Lucida announced. "The Demon will be brought to justice. Yet, I recognize a valid concern. What is to stop us from continuing the war once our common enemy is dead? When the Demon shattered our alliance, she took away our hero. We need our hero back."

Lucida looked right at Frisk. "Frisk Dreemurr, if you perform one small task for us, you as well as everyone charged with defending the Demon shall be granted a full pardon."

Frisk knew what that task was.

 _King Description_ played louder.

"Frisk, prove that you were never on the Demon's side. Prove that you never betrayed us."

"Execute the Demon."

"Execute Chara."


	26. Execution Points

**Royal Scientist's Log [On Death and Determination]:**

Anyone who studies the power of determination may find themselves losing their appreciation for death. Indeed, determination is a marvelous energy. It can heal almost any injury, and it can even allow the soulless to regain consciousness. However, death is still a very real threat to be feared. There are several ways to ensure the destruction of an Essence and a permanent death.

1\. Irreparable destruction of the human body will destroy the Essence inside. Irreparable destruction can include but is not limited to disintegration, decay, and incineration. In the case of monsters and their primarily magical bodies, an assailant with truly malicious intentions may destroy their Essence upon killing them.

2\. Use of specialized equipment may destroy the Essence directly. It should be noted that this method may be used to preserve a SOUL while destroying its owner.

3\. The death of a soulless being is always permanent.

4\. The effects of a severe determination overdose are irreversible.

5\. If the subject has lost the will to live, the Essence will burn out on its own upon death.

Finally, it is crucial to keep in mind that the destruction of a SOUL always represents a permanent loss of life. The only way to replace a lost SOUL is to either take or destroy another. Only death can pay for life.

* * *

 _Dear Frisk, you have quite the dilemma in front of you. Just before she started her quest for redemption, you told Chara that you would sacrifice her to bring back the friends you've lost. And when I questioned you in my lab, you again stated that you were willing to sacrifice Chara to undo all the damage that she has done. So, what's it going to be, Frisk? Will you kill the love of your life with your own hands, or will you once again risk the lives of your friends to save hers?_

 _Although, I will say this. In order to reach LV 20, Lucida needs to get angry, and nothing would piss her off more than Chara surviving this day._

 _And yet, even if they survive, would your friends ever forgive you after you make it painfully clear who's more important to you?_

 _Who will you betray?_

 _Make your choice, Frisk._

* * *

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't.

Frisk was being forced to choose between two great evils. He either had to murder the one he swore to protect forever, or he had to betray his friends once again. How could he justify not killing Chara when it would guarantee the safety of his friends, but how could he kill his dear, misunderstood Chara?

Frisk desperately tried to think of a way out. If he did kill Chara, could he just revive her afterwards?

A guardsman handed Frisk something. It was Chara's knife.

"Frisk," Lucida said. "You will kill the Demon with the same weapon it used to murder your own friends and family, and to ensure that the Demon will never return, its corpse shall be burned, destroying its profane Essence. And Demon, don't even think about trying to possess Frisk. The humans supplied us with technology that can detect your tricks. If you try to hide inside him, we will know, and we'll kill Frisk as well."

It was as if Lucida knew exactly what Frisk was thinking. There was no easy way out of this. If Frisk killed Chara here, it would have been forever.

Asriel, Toriel, Asgore, Napstablook, Undyne, Alphys, Gerson, Green, Purple, all those people were in danger, but they all could have been safe. All Frisk had to do was kill a single person.

…Was that not how Chara had thought? Sacrifice a few friends to keep the rest safe?

But, this was much different. Frisk only had to kill one person. Chara tried to start a war, and as much as Frisk loved her, did Chara really deserve to simply get away with that?

… _What am I saying?!_

Chara wasn't going to get away with it. The shame of what she did and the scars she tore in her own family would never go away. That was her punishment. Those were the consequences. Frisk knew that guilt was hardly something that people seeking justice could quantify. He knew that it wasn't nearly enough for them, but he knew that Chara would take it all back if she could. Killing should only be done if it's necessary to protect others, and Chara no longer had any intention of hurting anybody. At the very least, was death really the only way for her to atone?

But… it didn't matter what Frisk thought was right. They were going to kill her anyway, and if Frisk didn't kill her, what were they going to do to his friends? Frisk's mind said that he had to kill Chara. It was the logical thing to do. It was also the right thing to do.

Frisk walked up to Chara and pointed the tip of the knife at her SOUL.

"FRISK, NO!" Toriel screamed. A guardsman silenced her.

 _Mom…_

Chara looked at Frisk and smiled.

"It's okay, Frisk. I'm ready."

Frisk grimaced.

"Do it," Chara said. "It'll be easy to keep my promise now, since your face will be the last thing I see."

Could she have made this any harder?

"I'm not afraid. I never was."

 _Chara…_

"Kill me, save your friends… and keep your promise."

He had to kill Chara to protect his friends.

…But he couldn't bring himself to.

Chara's smile faded. "Frisk… please…"

 _My friends… I'm sorry. I'm a terrible person! I'm gambling with your lives again!_

Chara became distressed. "Frisk, you have to kill me!"

"Kill me…!"

"KILL ME…!"

Frisk thought about his adventures underground. Back then, no matter how impossible it seemed, mercy always pulled through. Frisk didn't have to kill a single person, even though it seemed like everyone was trying to kill him. He faced death countless times. He DID die quite a few rimes, but despite all that…

Mercy was always the answer.

Frisk dropped the knife. The crowd gasped.

Tears ran down Chara's cheeks. "YOU PROMISED! You promised that you would save yourself! Now they're going to kill you too!"

"No," Frisk said.

Frisk looked at the crowd. "No one has to die today!" he shouted.

"Frisk…" Lucida growled. "You really are the Demon's puppet."

"Listen to me!" Frisk demanded. "There's a better way! Many of the people who died are not beyond saving! Look at Sans, Papyrus, Monster Kid, and all the others! They're really them, and they need our help!"

"No, they're all the Demon's victims," Lucida insisted.

"We can bring one of them back to normal right now!" Frisk told her. "Just give me Chara's phone. We already have something that can save them!"

"Do you think I'm an idiot? You're just going to use whatever you have stored there to try and escape."

"No…!"

"IT'S TRUE!" a familiar voice shouted.

The crowd cheered.

"Oh my God, IT'S METTATON! He's alive!"

Mettaton flew straight to the center of the stage. "HELLO, BEAUTIES!"

The crowd went nuts.

"Yes, yes, I know everyone is thrilled that I have returned to the spotlight, but I have some rather important things to say."

The crowd calmed down.

"Thank you. Now, you all must know that everything Frisk is saying is true. I've seen it with my own optics. In her dimensional box, Chara has exactly what the flower people need to become normal again: a monster SOUL!"

The crowd began murmuring.

"And where did they get this SOUL?" Lucida asked.

"From Gaster," Frisk answered truthfully.

The mentioning of that name caused even more chatter among the crowd.

"Oh, yes!" Mettaton exclaimed. "The dead human has teamed up with the dead scientist to bring everyone that the dead human killed back from the dead! SIMPLE, RIGHT?"

The entire crowd was confused.

"Look," Mettaton said. "We are currently in desperate need of leadership. At first. I was thinking that I would actually make a great monster king, but to be honest, my place is on the entertainment stage. For the more serious (and boring) stuff, there is someone far more suited than me. The fact is, our true king is not dead! He stands among you, trapped in a flower. With Chara's SOUL, we can free him, and we can have our true leader back!"

Everyone looked at Asgore, who remained silent.

What was with Asgore? Come to think of it, he had been awfully quiet even since being revived.

Suddenly, Asgore started laughing, strangely. It was the kind of laugh someone would make in response to bitter irony.

It clearly wasn't what Mettaton was expecting. "Uh… Asgore…?"

"You want me to be king again?" Asgore asked. "Why? My crimes are exactly the same as Chara's!"

 _What…?_

"Back when my children died," Asgore continued. "I declared that all humans who fell underground must die. I swore that I would gather seven human SOULs, and with those SOULs we would destroy humanity. And so I murdered six humans, which just happens to be the same number of monsters that Chara killed. It was a crime so great that my own wife couldn't forgive me."

What was Asgore doing? How could bringing himself down help anyone?

"But the problem is rooted before all that," Asgore went on. "When Chara fell underground, I took her into my family. I gave her everything, but in return, I asked for the impossible. I truly believed that Chara was the angel of the prophecy. I believed that she was the one who would one day free our people, so I charged a mere child with a task that she couldn't possibly have accomplished. Even as Chara lied on her deathbed, I told her not to give up, because she was 'the future of humans and monsters.' When she had Asriel take her SOUL and leave the underground, she was simply trying to fulfill the impossible duty that I placed on her shoulders, and because of it, both of my children died. We all blamed the humans, but the truth is, I was the one to blame for the deaths of my children. I had failed as a king, and as a father."

 _Dad… why are you doing this?_

"But now I realize," Asgore said. "That there was no angel. There never was, and there never will be, because the prophecy of the delta rune… is just a fairy tale, meant to give us hope. To believe in a prophecy, even a hopeful one, is to believe in fate, to believe in a future that cannot be changed, but we CAN change fate! We can make our own fate! Belief in fate is what drove my children to their deaths. It's even what turned my daughter into a killer. And now many of you believe that Chara is a demon, who must be destroyed, but many of those same people were also on board with my own plan to destroy humanity."

A guardsman tried to stop Asgore, but another blocked him. Were there Chara sympathizers in the Royal Guard? How did that happen?

"I had almost done it, too," Asgore continued. "I just needed a single SOUL, and I would have had the power to destroy them all. But before that happened, Frisk arrived in our home. Frisk showed us a better way. Frisk put an end to our imminent war, and because of him, we were able to live in peace on the surface. He truly changed all our fates. I hate to imagine what might have happened if the eighth human to fall underground wasn't as strong as Frisk."

"When the person we thought was Frisk revealed herself as the killer of Toriel, Papyrus, and Monster Kid, our faith in humanity faded as quickly as it had been created. Frisk may have been our hero, but there was no excuse for condemning an entire race over the actions of a single person. Chara didn't suddenly make us hate humanity, she simply reopened wounds that had yet to heal. We cannot blame Chara for everything. We, the monster race, are guilty of the sin of wrath, so, as your former king, I humbly ask everyone to cast aside their wrath. Let us celebrate our ability to change fate. Let us offer forgiveness to the one we called a demon, who wants nothing more than to atone for her mistakes."

A strange thing happened. The crowd reacted in what seemed like an even split between applause and anger.

"Mercy!"

"Screw that! She's still a murderer!"

"You heard our king!"

"She still has to die!"

The Royal Guard tried to calm everyone down.

 _What do I do? At this rate, fighting could break out._

Frisk felt something vibrate in his pocket. He reached in and pulled out something that wasn't there before: Chara's cellphone. It had received a text message from an unknown sender.

 _You're welcome._

 _-G_

There was no time to waste. Frisk quickly scanned through Chara's dimensional box and found the monster SOUL. He lifted it high in the air for everyone to see. The entire crowd froze when they saw it.

"Frisk…" Mettaton said. "Give it to Asgore."

"No!" Asgore yelled. "There are people who need it more than me!"

Frisk tried to think of who needed it most. Papyrus would have rejected it because of Sans and vice versa, and it still felt kind of wrong to give it to Asriel. Mettaton… probably didn't need it the most. That left one more, perhaps the most innocent victim of all.

Frisk walked up to Monster Kid and handed him the SOUL. "Take it."

Monster Kid opened the capsule and absorbed the SOUL. The crowd gasped as he transformed back into his normal body.

"M-Monster Kid…?" Monster Kid's mother ran to her son. "Is that really you?"

"Mom… I'm sorry for getting in trouble again…"

"Oh… Monster Kid!" Monster Kid and his mother cried in each others imaginary arms.

Lucida walked up to Sans and Papyrus.

"…Are you really my sons…?"

"Y-yes, Mom," Papyrus said. "I may not get tingly when I see you anymore, but I'm still Papyrus. I'm just not the Great Papyrus that I used to be."

Sans remained silent.

Monster Kid's mother approached Chara. "I'm sorry. If I had known…"

"You have every right to hate me," Chara said. "I still killed him."

"No, I don't hate you anymore," Monster Kid's mother replied. "I know a little about all that Essence stuff. I know that if you were truly evil, what just happened wouldn't have been possible."

The group of Final Froggits on the stage talked amongst themselves. A translator spoke for them.

"The council has decided that Chara shall be granted a provisional stay of execution."

That was better than nothing. Frisk was filled with relief. Against all odds, his gamble had paid off.

"Frisk…" Chara said. "I don't know how you do it…"

"Dad's the one you need to thank,' Frisk pointed out.

"I love both of you."

There were no objections among the crowd.

…Almost…

Sans dug into the ground, and he resurfaced in front of Chara.

"S-Sans…? What are you doing?" Frisk asked.

"What does it look like? If everyone else is too lazy to get rid of her, then I will."

Frisk was heartbroken. Even after all that, Sans still wanted to kill her?

Another flower appeared between Sans and Chara: Toriel.

"Sans," Toriel said. "If you want to kill my daughter, you'll have to kill me first."

Sans gave a look of disbelief. "Why do you even care? HOW do you even care?!"

"She's my daughter."

Sans and Toriel stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.

"…Whatever," Sans finally said. He walked away.

Toriel and Frisk sighed with relief.

Lucida stormed out of the building.

* * *

 _I'm SO pissed off!_

Lucida couldn't believe it. The Demon and its followers had actually tricked everyone into letting it live. Even if it was only temporary, it was an unbelievable failure to deliver justice.

Still, perhaps Lucida was wrong about one thing. Perhaps the Demon and Gaster really could bring people back from the dead. Monster Kid seemed very much alive, and if his mother believed it, it had to be true. Lucida supposed that she could forgive letting the Demon live… for the time being. Lucida was now determined to find out exactly what the Demon's plan was. If the flowers were truly her sons, she owed it to them to do everything in her power to save them.

Once outside, Lucida screamed into the sky.

"GASTER! I KNOW YOU'RE LISTENING! SHOW YOURSELF! GASTER! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

Gaster appeared before Lucida. "Hello, my love."

"Shut up, Wingdings!"

"Oh, so we're back on a first name basis? If I had a SOUL, it would be fluttering!"

Lucida had no patience for Gaster's games. "Let's just get to the point! I know you have some kind of deal with the Demon! How can we bring everyone who died back?"

"It's really quite simple," Gaster replied. "All I need, is a LV 20 monster SOUL."

That… shouldn't have been too difficult. Lucida was already LV 10… from the war.

…Did that make her a hypocrite? The Demon hadn't forced her to kill those humans. She did it on her own.

"Contrary to popular belief," Gaster said. "LV 10 is actually not even close to halfway to LV 20. The halfway point is actually LV 19. Each level requires progressively more EXP to reach. To reach LV 20 efficiently, you must battle more powerful opponents."

"And where are these powerful opponents?" Lucida asked.

"There are a few in this world, but perhaps it would be best to visit other worlds. You know of the other timelines, yes? You should know that some timelines are much less fortunate than even this one. I can take you to them, and there you may deliver justice on the people responsible for their destruction."

That was perfect. Lucida was going to deliver the justice that she had been yearning for, and in the process she was going to become powerful enough to save her own timeline.

"I'm ready."

Gaster teleported Lucida to another world.


	27. Hero

" **In the future if you uh, see me… Don't think of it as me, OK?"**

 **-Asriel Dreemurr**

* * *

Another world appeared before Lucida. She stood in front of Ebott Village, except it was untouched by the recent terrorist attack.

 _Poor Ebott Village…_

It truly was a shame what happened to the Ebott Village of her own timeline. The terrorists were very thorough. They burned the bodies to ensure the destruction of the villagers' Essences. Even if this plan of Gaster's succeeded, there was absolutely no way to bring those people back.

Lucida noticed how peaceful the village looked. There were both humans and monsters living in it, just like in her own timeline.

"We will start with an easier target," Gaster said. "This is a Pacifist timeline. In this world, Frisk never performed what is commonly referred to as a 'Genocide run,' so Chara cannot take their SOUL. In fact, even if Chara could take Frisk's SOUL, they wouldn't use it to hurt anyone, because Frisk taught Chara a better way to solve their problems than violence. If all goes well, as it usually does, peace will prosper in this timeline for many generations to come."

"Yeah, that's great for them," Lucida said, totally not jealous or anything. "Just tell me where the target is."

"Aw, but that would spoil the fun. You like a challenge, don't you? I'll leave you to it." Gaster vanished.

 _Typical Gaster._

Lucida entered the village. She wondered what the problem possibly could have been. Everyone seemed to be happily going about their day, but then Lucida heard some more anxious chatter.

"Hey, did anyone catch that flower yet?" a villager asked.

"I'm afraid not," another villager answered. "It actually killed another just yesterday."

"Damn… that makes seven. At least we were always able to stop it before it could absorb their SOULs."

"Yeah. It sucks that we had to destroy their SOULs like that, but I don't want to think about what would happen if it got ahold of them."

"I hear you."

That flower was obviously Lucida's target. Was it another revived monster… or perhaps even a human? Soulless beings truly were dangerous. Lucida had to stop it, for this timeline and her own.

Lucida walked into the center of town. Several people had gathered there to try and stop the murderous flower. A familiar-looking fish monster clad in Royal Guard armor saw her.

"Thank God you're here!" the fish exclaimed. "You must be one of the new recruits!"

Lucida recognized her. It was Undyne. Lucida decided to play along.

"Uh… yes! I'm here!"

"Good! What's your name?"

"I'm Luci…"

Lucida couldn't use her real name. This timeline must have had its own Lucida.

She faked a cough. "S-sorry… my name is… Lu… Lucina!"

"Are you alright, Lucina? If you're feeling ill…"

"I'm fine! Let's get this flower already!"

Undyne gave a big smile. "You've got spirit, kid!"

 _Hmph… kid…? I'm at least twice your age!_

Lucida looked around. Other people who had gathered to hunt the flower included Sans, Papyrus, Alphys, Royal Guards 01 and 02, Guardsman 76, several human villagers, and some human girl that looked sort of familiar. It was weird to see these people alive and well, especially Sans and Papyrus. Lucida made sure her helmet was on tight. Even in her armor, she had to be careful that they wouldn't recognize her, and the only thing keeping her from holding them in her arms and crying on the spot was knowing that they weren't really her children. They were another Lucida's sons, not hers.

Lucida wondered where Robin was. She supposed that the situation in this timeline wasn't severe enough to make him join the Royal Guard. It was a shame, though. His supernatural abilities would have made a fine asset for this battle, but Lucida supposed it was a good thing that this timeline was peaceful enough for him to do… whatever else he was doing.

The human girl looked at Lucida. "Thanks for joining us, Lucina. We need all the help we can get."

"No offense, but what's a child doing here?" Lucida asked.

"Don't you know who that is?" Undyne asked. "That's Frisk! The hero of monsters!"

 _Wait… what?_

Frisk was… a girl in this timeline?

 _Eh, whatever. I suppose it doesn't really matter._

"E-excuse me…" Alphys said. "But I just want to extend my sincerest apologizes for this situation! This is all my fault! I'm the one who gave life to that flower!"

"You couldn't have known this would happen, Alphys," Undyne assured her. "Don't blame yourself! What's important is that we do everything we can to stop him!"

"Y-yes, you're right!" Alphys said. "Thank you, Undyne!"

"Yes, we all need to do everything we can," Guardsman 76 agreed. "Remember, we're all heroes now!"

"Yes," Sans said. "This flower is a real thorn in our side!"

Everyone groaned.

"Come on, Sans…" Undyne moaned. "People are dying here!"

"Just trying to lighten the mood…"

"Anyway…" Undyne said. "Let's get to it! Spread out and find that flower! Remember, when you find it, do NOT engage unless absolutely necessary! Let Frisk talk to him first!"

They seriously wanted Frisk to try and reason with it? Impossible. Lucida knew that Frisk was a master diplomat, but this thing was soulless. It couldn't be reasoned with.

 _Wait… why doesn't Gaster just give it a new SOUL? He has some, doesn't he?_

Then again, the flower had killed seven people. It deserved to die. Gaster had sent her here to kill this thing, and that was what she was going to do.

Lucida went to the outskirts of the village and looked for any sign of the killer. The village was full of golden flowers. It could have been anywhere. This was going to take forever…

…For some reason, the flower popped out of the ground right in front of her.

"Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!"

Lucida brandished her energy sword. This thing had dug its own grave.

"Hmm… how curious…" Flowey mused. "You're LV 10. How did a monster like you get all that EXP without getting caught?" Flowey made a vicious smile. "You must be a MASTERMIND at killing!"

"Shut up!" Lucida yelled.

"Ah, now I see. You're a skeleton. It's a little known secret that skeletons are hands down the most powerful type of monster, surpassing even boss monsters. You're made up of much more physical mass than any other type of monster. The blood that runs in your bones allows you to channel a lot of determination without breaking down. I've fought your kind before. This should be interesting."

Royal Guards 01 and 02 spotted Flowey. "Hey! Lucina found him! Get over here!"

Everyone surrounded Flowey.

"Asriel…" Frisk said, "Why are you doing this?"

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!"

Flowey struck Frisk with several energy pellets. Frisk collapsed.

Frisk struggled to get back up. "Brother…"

"I'M NOT ASRIEL! I'M FLOWEY! FLOWEY THE FLOWER!"

Flowey launched another attack, but Lucida deflected it. She swung her sword to counterattack. Flower ducked under her swing and burrowed into the ground.

"GET BACK HERE!" Lucida tried to pull it back up by turning its SOUL blue… only to remember that it didn't have a SOUL.

"DON'T HURT HIM!" Frisk yelled.

 _You're just as foolish as the Frisk in my timeline._

"Damn!" Undyne cursed. "Where did he go?!"

Flowey resurfaced, holding a human villager in its vines.

"You want to know why I'm doing this, Frisk?" Flowey squeezed the villager tighter. "I'm doing this, because this village killed Chara, my brother!" Flower started to pull the villager apart.

"DIRTY BROTHER KILLER!"

Lucida sprinted as fast as she could, but she was too late. Flower ripped the villager in half. All Lucida could do was destroy the villager's SOUL before Flowey had a chance to absorb it.

Frisk broke into tears. "ASRIEL! STOP! These aren't even the same people that killed Chara! And if you're not Asriel, then why do you still consider Chara your brother?"

It seemed that Frisk opened Flowey to a flaw in its logic. "I… You're right. Chara's not my brother! I feel nothing for anyone! I can kill anyone! Even you!"

Flowey charged another magic attack and aimed at Frisk. Lucida could tell that Frisk wasn't even going to try to dodge it.

Frisk made one last plea. "Asriel… please… Chara wouldn't want this! Chara DOESN'T want this!"

"Your pacifism will be the death of you! In this world…"

"Asriel, listen! Chara's…"

Flowey's magic was almost at full power. "IT'S KILL, OR…"

Lucida thrust her sword through Flowey.

"NO, ASRIEL…!" Frisk screamed. She ran to Flowey's side.

"F-Frisk…" Flowey groaned. "I think… this is all I really wanted… to die… to see Chara again. I know I don't deserve it… but maybe I'll finally see him now. Thank you…"

Flowey turned into a regular flower. Frisk hugged it.

"I'm sorry, Chara. I couldn't save him. I couldn't save our brother."

Lucida realized the cruel irony of Flowey's last words. Chara still lived on inside Frisk… Chara wouldn't be waiting for Asriel.

Frisk looked at Lucida with anger in her eyes. "Why?! Why did you kill my brother?!"

"He was going to kill you…"

"HE WAS SOULLESS! He didn't know any better! All you've done was prove his point, that the world really is kill or be killed!"

"Frisk, calm down," Undyne told her.

Frisk sobbed. "I… I'm sorry… It's not your fault. You did what you had to. I just… wish we could have saved him."

"He killed eight people, Frisk," Sans pointed out. "People would have demanded justice anyway."

"I… I need to be alone for a while." Frisk ran away.

So... Chara wasn't the only murderer that Frisk could forgive. Was Lucida really being too harsh? Why didn't Frisk understand that murderers deserved to die?

Lucida tried to stop Frisk. "Frisk… I…"

"Let her go," Sans said. "She'll be alright. She's a tough one."

Undyne comforted Lucida. "Hey, you did the right thing. If it weren't for you, Frisk would be dead now. That makes you a hero in my book."

"…No, Frisk is the hero," Lucida realized. "A true hero would have saved both of them, even if Flowey's life wasn't worth saving."

"There was no way to save him," Undyne assured her.

"I don't know..."

Undyne sighed. "Honesty, I find it very heartbreaking. Asgore, and the whole kingdom for that matter, was never the same after Asriel and Chara died. Old people like Gerson always said that they were both such sweet children. Even after we escaped the underground, Asgore still couldn't get over his loss. When Frisk told me Asriel was still alive, I thought we could bring joy back to our king, but there was nothing we could do for Asriel... besides end his suffering. Even if we could have saved him, Asriel is probably better off dead than soulless."

"Perhaps..."

"I know I wouldn't want to live like that," Sans said. "Not being able to care about Papyrus, or Frisk, or anyone? No thank you."

That reminded Lucida why she was doing this. She couldn't let her sons live like that.

Undyne smiled. "Hey, I'm not trying to make you feel bad! You did good work today! Frisk and these villagers owe you their lives!"

"…Thanks," Lucida said. "But... I really ought to get going."

She walked out of sight, and Gaster teleported her to the True Lab.

"Congratulations" Gaster said. "That took you all the way to LV 18."

"All the way from 10 to 18? Just from a single kill?"

"Two kills. You also got EXP from destroying that villager's SOUL."

Huh, that counted? Still, 10 to 18 was a big jump.

"Remember that it takes more EXP to reach every level," Gaster reminded her. "You're still not even halfway there yet."

"…Hey, does Asriel always do that?" Lucida asked.

"No, it's very rare. Asriel usually remains in Mount Ebott and lives in solitude, save for the occasional visit from Frisk. Not even I know exactly what caused that Asriel to go berserk."

"…He wanted to die," Lucida said. "He didn't think life was worth living without a SOUL… Why didn't you give him one?"

"I can't just go around giving SOULs to everyone who dies," Gaster answered. "If I give away a SOUL, it's for the good of the entire timeline, not just a single person."

Lucida supposed that was fair enough, as harsh a truth as it was. People did have to die to create SOULs after all. There couldn't possibly have been enough for everyone.

"Let's go to the next world," Lucida said.

"Eager as always."

Gaster sent Lucida to the next world.

* * *

" **It's just a regular flower."**

 **-Chara**


	28. LOVE

Gaster sent Lucida to the next world. She appeared to be in the suburbs of Ebott City.

"This is a Neutral timeline," Gaster said. "This time, your target is Frisk."

"Oh, so _now_ you tell me who the target is," Lucida commented.

Gaster ignored her. "The Frisk of this world killed many monsters and sent the underground into despair. The underground is now in anarchy. Everyone that could have been a leader is dead, but Frisk didn't kill quite enough to allow Chara to take their SOUL... They were just a few kills short."

"What are they doing now?" Lucida asked. "Are they planning to finish what they started?"

"No." Gaster pointed to a nearby orphanage. "They're just living in their orphanage now."

"Well, they still deserve to die," Lucida stated. "Tell me they're not going to grovel and beg for forgiveness like the Frisk and Chara from my timeline."

"I don't know. You'll have to see for yourself. Oh, and remember that the monsters are still trapped underground, so humans are not used to seeing monsters in this world. Hopefully, you're better at staying out of sight than coming up with aliases… _Lucina._ "

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?"

"Almost. Sans could tell what was going on."

Lucida sighed. Sans always was too smart for her to trick. She was often the victim of Sans's many pranks. Even Gaster fell for a few of them.

"Well, enough chit-chat," Gaster said. "I told you everything you need to know. Good luck." Gaster vanished.

Lucida was the right size and shape to pass as human. A knight fully encased in armor may have been a weird sight in this age, but it was far better than seeing a walking skeleton. Still, perhaps stealth was the best approach here.

Lucida skulked around the orphanage and looked for an opening. It felt pretty messed up to be honest. She was sneaking around an orphanage to kill a child, but this child was a terrible person that had to die.

Lucida found an open window on the ground level. She crawled through it. As luck would have it (or more likely, as Gaster had set it up), the room turned out to be Frisk's. Frisk was lying on a couch when they saw Lucida break in. Lucida examined them. She couldn't even tell what gender they were. This Frisk was perfectly androgynous.

 _God, this timeline stuff is WEIRD!_

"So…" Frisk said, still lying on the couch. "You've finally caught up to me."

"Frisk, it's time to pay for your murders!" Lucida exclaimed.

Frisk's expression was completely flat. "Murders..? I haven't murdered anyone. Every single monster I killed was in self-defense."

"You expect me to believe that? You killed our king and queen! And every single person we looked up to! The entire underground is in chaos because of you!"

"So I hear, but it's their own fault for attacking me."

Lucida clenched her fists. "I know for a fact that you didn't have to hurt a single one! I know about your RESET power! You were hardly in any danger at all!"

Frisk still looked entirely unamused. "Ah, yes, my RESET power. I didn't feel like using that, and it still doesn't change the fact that they were all trying to kill me."

"But… can you really blame them? They just needed one more SOUL, and then they would have been free of their underground prison!"

"Yes. If they killed me, they would have been free to take my SOUL and wage war against humanity. You realize that Asgore did, in fact, declare war on humanity, right?"

"Y-yes… but… you could have stopped that! Why did you even go underground if you hate them so much?"

Frisk yawned. "Simple. I was bored. It's awfully dull in this orphanage. I figured I would go out and see if the rumors about Mount Ebott were true, and it didn't take long at all for me to find out why no one who goes there ever returns."

"So, you killed them just because you were bored?"

Frisk looked just a little frustrated. "Again, THEY attacked ME. Do you think that just because they are trapped underground, they are above consequences? When someone tries to kill me, the penalty is death."

Lucida became very frustrated. "But they weren't bad people! They didn't deserve to die! Do you really think all their lives were worth yours?"

Frisk shrugged. "If they valued their lives, they would have stayed away from me."

Lucida was reaching her breaking point. This Frisk was nothing like the Frisk from her timeline! This Frisk felt absolutely no empathy for all the people they killed, or the entire race that they had doomed to a hopeless life of despair. They were even more sociopathic than Flowey, and perhaps even more than Chara! At least Chara had tried to do what she thought was right, as twisted as her concept of right and wrong may have been. She just suffered from circular logic. Despite everything, Chara still cared about monsters, but this Frisk didn't seem to care about anything!

Lucida grabbed the hilt of her sword.

Frisk jumped out of the couch and grabbed something in their pocket.

"You know who a smart monster was?" Frisk asked rhetorically. "Sans. Sans was smart. He never attacked me. Oh, and I could tell that he wanted to. He HATED me so much. I killed his brother, after all. Yet, he understood that as long as he didn't hurt me, I wouldn't hurt him. Since he never attacked me, I never killed him. He still lives to this day. See? I'm not unreasonable. You're the aggressor here. If you attack me, I'll attack back, but it's not too late for you to just walk away."

"…Do you not feel any regret for the people you've killed?" Lucida asked.

"…I've never once felt any desire to use my RESET ability." Frisk answered.

Frisk claimed it was self-defense, but they easily could have saved the people they killed. They were a murderer, and Lucida was going to avenge everyone they killed.

Lucida drew her sword and swung at Frisk.

Frisk parried Lucida's attack with their knife and counterattacked. Lucida blocked it, but the force of the blow was so great that Lucida was sent flying out the window. Frisk followed her outside. Lucida got back up as quickly as she could. Humans were too powerful, but Lucida wasn't going to give up.

"Are you still sure you want to do this?" Frisk asked. "I've never once lost a battle."

"That's because you've never fought Sans," Lucida pointed out.

Lucida summoned her Gaster blasters and fired. Frisk had clearly never seen such a powerful attack, yet they somehow managed to dodge it.

"You're strong," Frisk admitted. Lucida dodged a slash from Frisk's knife. "Where were you when I was underground?" Frisk asked.

She had probably been on evacuation duty. Undyne always thought she was too old to handle the real tasks, that foolish child. Lucida launched a bone attack at Frisk. Winded from the last attack, they took a few scratches this time.

"Ugh, enough!" Frisk raised their knife. "Time to die, murderer!"

Before Frisk could attack, they fell to their knees writhing as if they were struggling to control themself.

Frisk looked just as confused as Lucida. "Chara…?! What are you doing?!"

"Please kill this person!" Chara exclaimed from inside Frisk. "They have absolutely no redeeming qualities!"

"Shut up, Chara!" Frisk yelled.

Condemned even by Chara. This Frisk was truly the scum of the Earth.

Frisk regained control and stabbed at Lucida, but Lucida was filled with renewed determination. She easily deflected Frisk's attack and knocked them down, then she attacked them with Gaster blasters, bone magic, and her sword all at once. Frisk desperately tried to dodge it all, but they could not. Frisk was torn to pieces.

Frisk coughed up blood. "You… m-murderer…"

Frisk's SOUL shattered, and their Essence extinguished.

"Thank you…" Chara whispered.

Lucida actually felt a desire to save this Chara, but unfortunately, Chara's Essence extinguished as well. At least this Chara would be reunited with their family.

Lucida looked around and realized that the fighting had attracted a mob of humans.

She couldn't possibly have fought them all, and even if she could have, she didn't want to hurt them. This was just a misunderstanding.

"That kid really caused that much pain to your people?" one of the humans asked.

 _What…?_ Lucida was expecting them to attack. She certainly wasn't expecting sympathy.

"We heard everything," another human said. "That kid was the true monster. If we had known, we would have brought them to justice ourselves."

"Uh… thank you…" Lucida said, still in disbelief.

"Your kind has been trapped underground for so long," another human said. "We want you to know that we're not all like that rotten kid. We humans have done horrible things to you. It's long overdue, but we're going to do everything we can to free your kind."

Even though this wasn't her timeline, Lucida was almost moved to tears. There really was some decency among humans.

"Thank you…"

Gaster sent Lucida back to the True Lab.

"That went well," Gaster said.

Lucida could sense the power that she had gained. "What level am I now?"

"LV 19. One extremely powerful being should take you to LV 20."

Lucida remarked how killing even one of the vilest humans she had ever seen made her LOVE increase. She had always viewed LOVE as a measure of morality. She would have thought that something called _Execution Points_ would be gained most quickly by killing the most innocent victims possible, but that wasn't at all how it worked. It didn't matter whether the victim was a helpless villager, a soulless murderer, or a mass murderer that might as well have been soulless. LOVE didn't judge morality. LOVE was only concerned with one thing: power. Specifically, the power to cause harm. It didn't matter if the violence was justified or not, the end result was the same. Lucida was becoming very good at hurting people.

"You look troubled, dear," Gaster said without any trace of genuine concern.

"I'm fine," Lucida said. "Just take me to the next world."

"As you wish."

Lucida knew who her last target was going to be.

Gaster sent Lucida to save a timeline threatened by Chara.


	29. Revenge

Gaster teleported Lucida to a truly hellish world. She appeared to be in a ruined Ebott City. Most of the buildings had collapsed to rubble, and the sky was clouded with ash. It was even worse, much worse, than after the battle that had been fought in her own timeline.

"What IS this…?" Lucida asked.

"This is a Soulless timeline, like your own," Gaster said. "As you can see, Chara's plan was quite a bit more successful. Thousands of monsters and millions of humans have perished in her war. The war can only end if Chara is defeated. Eliminate her, and save what little remains of this world."

The sight of this burning hell of a world filled Lucida with overwhelming anger. "The Demon will die!"

"You're going to need this." Gaster summoned a capsule with a human SOUL inside. "This is a LV 20 human SOUL. It'll make you powerful enough to fight Chara."

A LV 20 human SOUL... That was going to be helpful indeed.

"Wait…" Lucida said. "Why didn't you give me that earlier?"

"Where would have been the fun in that? You were fine."

 _Gaster…_

Lucida sighed and took the SOUL. "I suppose I should be grateful you're giving me this now."

Gaster chuckled. "The truth is, you weren't powerful enough to handle it until now, and even now, this SOUL could cause you to melt if you're not careful."

Ah, yes. Determination overdose was a very serious concern. Lucida did need to be careful.

Lucida absorbed the SOUL, and she felt tremendous power course through her body. She felt like she could take on anyone.

"Chara should be drawn to your power shortly," Gaster said. "Good luck." He disappeared.

Lucida waited. As Gaster had promised, it didn't take long for the Demon to show up. The Demon approached Lucida, and it was possessing this timeline's Frisk.

"Lucida…? Aren't you dead?" the Demon asked.

Lucida grabbed the hilt of her sword. "Demon… you're going to die for your crimes."

The Demon looked genuinely confused. "Demon…? You were one of my best soldiers. You killed so many humans before they finally took you down. It was such a shame. You were one of my favorites… but you're not really her, are you? You're from another timeline. This can only mean one thing: Gaster really has betrayed me. First, he saved that pathetic coward who had disgraced my name, and now he's sent you here to kill me."

Lucida felt disturbed. She didn't want to believe that she would have aided the Demon, but… she had already done so. In her timeline, she had killed quite a few more humans than she was proud of. The thought that the monsters' greatest hero betrayed everyone had filled her with so much rage, but this wasn't about her. She had made some mistakes, but she couldn't turn back now. Lucida drew her sword.

The Demon made a face that wasn't even human. Its smile twisted further than what should have been possible, and darkness seemed to ooze out of its glowing red eyes.

"It's been too long since I've had a proper battle!" it exclaimed. "A battle with a fellow killer! This should be interesting!"

"It will be your last!" Lucida declared.

Lucida surrounded the Demon with Gaster blasters and fired, but the Demon jumped impossibly high in the air and dodged every one. After landing, the Demon sprinted at Lucida with inhuman speed and slashed at her with its knife. Lucida used her sword to deflect the Demon's attacks.

"This is pointless," the Demon said. "Even if you should defeat me, I'll just destroy this world."

"Yes," Lucida said. "I know all about that. It's the ultimate dark magic spell. Gaster and I were studying it before he died. It's a spell capable of plunging the entire world into darkness. To use it, two conditions must be met. First, the caster must be LV 20, and second, the caster must be the strongest being in the world. Since I have a LV 20 human SOUL inside me, I have a feeling your position as the world's most powerful being is contested."

The Demon laughed. "You think just any LV 20 SOUL can… Wait…" The Demon casted a spell: Check.

"That was another Frisk's SOUL," the Demon realized. "So… you are as powerful as me. All the more reason I have to kill you!"

The Demon casted shadow magic. A hailstorm of dark energy spikes rained down on Lucida. Looking at this magic was like staring into a black void, which made it very disorienting. The sight it would have frozen a lesser monster in terror, but fortunately, Lucida was familiar with this form of magic. She was able to dodge the barrage. Lucida countered the Demon's attack with bone magic. She sent an energy bone flying right at the Demon, and it impaled the Demon's chest.

Of course, it wasn't going to be that easy. The Demon laughed as it pulled the bone out. Blood gushed out of the wound, but the Demon was completely unfazed.

"You're going to have to try harder than THAT!" the Demon taunted. "If that's the best you've got, you're gonna have a bad time!"

The Demon dared to use the battle cries of the lives it stole? Lucida became even more infuriated. She dashed at the Demon and swung her sword at it as fast as she could. The Demon didn't do anything. It simply stood there and took the attacks. Despite attacking with all her might, Lucida's attacks only made minor scratches on the Demon.

"You may have your human SOUL," the Demon said. "But you're not using it properly. Come on, show me the Lucida that I know. Show me your anger."

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP?!"

Lucida made one massive slash across the Demon's stomach, and the force of the blow sent the Demon flying into the nearest wall.

The Demon giggled. "That's better!"

The Demon swiftly ran back to Lucida, and they traded blows. Lucida had never seen anyone so skilled with a knife. Lucida took a few hits, and she felt blood trickle down her bones. It took all of her determination to keep up with the Demon. She managed to block one of the Demon's swings, and their weapons locked in a contest of strength. Lucida struggled as hard as she could to break the Demon's guard.

 _Come on, it's just a knife! I have a sword!_

With all her rage, Lucida won the contest and landed another hit across the Demon's body, but she was extremely winded and struggling to catch her breath. The Demon, meanwhile, still wasn't showing any sign of slowing down.

"Is that all you can do against the one who killed your children?" the Demon taunted. It slashed a wide cut across Lucida's body and knocked her down.

Lucida got back up walked towards the Demon. "I… will… kill you…!"

She heard something dripping beneath her. Blood? She looked down; it wasn't blood. Lucida's body was melting. Her body couldn't handle this much determination.

The Demon looked disappointed. "Aw… monsters just can't handle the determination that humans can. Looks like you won't be a worthy opponent after all. Oh, well. I'll just have to kill you now."

 _No… I didn't come all this way just to be killed by this THING!_

Lucida tried to hold on. She thought of all the people the Demon had killed. She remembered her sorrow when she saw Papyrus's dust, and she remembered her rage when the Demon made her believe that it was Frisk. Nothing would have satisfied her more than tearing the Demon to pieces, so why couldn't she control her own body?

 _Control…_

That was it. Lucida was letting her anger control her… just like Chara. All this time, Lucida had referred to her enemy as a demon, but that was just her way of hiding from the truth. Chara was a human being. An extremely hateful and murderous human, but still a human, who believed she was doing the right thing. Lucida couldn't lie to herself anymore. If she was going to defeat Chara, then she had to see her for what she really was. Lucida had to embrace the fact that she had set out to kill another person, but she wasn't going to kill her out of hatred or vengeance. She was going to kill her for justice, to save everyone who was still alive from this living nightmare of a world.

Lucida's body stopped melting.

Chara looked pleasantly surprised. "Huh, perhaps you can-"

Lucida fired her Gaster blasters. Chara jumped up again, but Lucida covered the ground she landed in with energy bones. Chara swiftly jumped out, but not before taking some hits. Some blood dripped down her legs.

"Okay," Chara said. "Now the REAL battle begins!"

Chara quickly closed the distance between them, and their weapons clashed once more. This time, Lucida was faster. She parried through Chara's attack and landed a deep cut on her arm. Chara retreated and fired energy knives from all around Lucida. Lucida managed to dodge every single one.

Chara's enjoyment of the fight started to turn into frustration. "You can't keep dodging forever!"

Chara thrust her palm forward and emitted a beam of shadow magic. Lucida rolled under it and shot a Gaster blaster at Chara. Chara was too concentrated on her attack to dodge, and she took the full force of the blast.

Chara coughed up blood. "You do realize that if you win, you will have undone everything I've fought for? I will have killed my own family for nothing, and your sons will have died for nothing!"

"They DID die for nothing!" Lucida told her.

Chara ran back to Lucida, and they resumed their blade fight.

"You think I WANTED to do what I did?" Chara shouted between strikes. "I LOVED THEM! I loved Toriel, Asgore, and Asriel! They were my family! But I had to kill them! Because if I didn't, the humans would have! Just like they did before, when the humans suddenly declared war on monsters for no reason other than the fear of a power that any good monster had no intention to use! Countless monsters were turned to dust over their fear and distrust, and the monsters could barely fight back at all! It can't even be called a war! And after it was all done, the humans caged the monsters like animals! I'm going to make sure that such a tragedy never happens again!"

"And what do you call this?" Lucida asked. "For someone who hates war so much, you've caused an awfully big one."

Chara stared at her in frustration, and then she attacked her at an overwhelming speed that Lucida couldn't have possibly kept up with. Lucida tried to block Chara's attacks, but she was quickly knocked off balance. Chara used her force magic to pin Lucida down on the ground, and then she summoned a massive swarm of energy knives. Lucida looked around herself, and all she could see was the red glow of Chara's magic. Lucida couldn't dodge them all. The knives closed in, and several of them cut though. More blood dripped down Lucida's bones, and she knew it was over.

But… the attacks soon became weaker. Chara's strength was declining. Eventually, the knives just bounced off Lucida's armor harmlessly. The knives gradually slowed down until Chara collapsed to the ground. Lucida got back up and stared down at the fallen human. Chara's demonic appearance faded and returned to Frisk's normal face, and it was filled with sorrow and regret.

"Kill me…" Chara said. "You're right. I'm exactly what I was fighting."

Lucida had to admit; it was incredible that someone who had caused so much death could realize and accept that she was wrong. However, Chara couldn't be saved. She had killed too many, and Gaster couldn't possibly have had enough SOULs to save the millions of dead in this world. All Lucida could do for Chara was end her suffering, but there was still one thing that was bothering her.

"Why did Frisk do a Genocide run?" Lucida asked.

"He was curious," Chara answered. "He just wanted to see what it was like, but when I took control, he always begged me to stop. I didn't listen."

Lucida knew that was not the same reason the Frisk of her timeline did his Genocide run. She almost didn't blame Chara for hating humanity after witnessing a human slaughter over a hundred monsters just because he was curious, even if he did intend to RESET afterwards. The Frisk that Lucida knew obviously did his Genocide run to save Chara, and Lucida was starting to see why. She could tell from the passion that Chara had fought her with. She could see that Chara might have been a great person, if she just hadn't given in to her hatred of humanity.

 _Alright, enough feeling sorry for the warmonger_.

Lucida pointed her sword at Chara.

"I would say that I hope to see my family again," Chara said. "But I don't deserve that. I at least hope that Frisk will see them."

"You will," Lucida told her. "They will be happy to see you."

Lucida impaled Chara's SOUL. It shattered. Chara and Frisk's Essences faded away.

Lucida took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. It was done. She had saved this world, and soon she would save her own.

Gaster took Lucida back to the True Lab.

"Congratulations," Gaster said. "You've reached LV 20, a feat very few monsters have performed. Shall we begin now?"

"No," Lucida answered. "I want everyone to be here."

"Define everyone."

Lucida gave him a list of the people she most wanted to witness the salvation of the world.

"Very well," Gaster said, "We'll meet up in the Royal Auditorium."

Gaster left for them.

* * *

 **And so we near the end of this tale.**

 **The world will soon be saved…**

 **And nothing bad will happen…**

 **Nothing bad at all…**

 **:)**


	30. Final Betrayal

In their room in Really New Home, Frisk and Asriel were taking care of Chara, who had become very sick from the buttercup flower that she was forced to eat. Chara was resting in her bed, and Frisk was sitting in a chair beside her.

"Can I get you anything, Chara?" Frisk offered.

"I'm… f-fine, Frisk." Chara said weakly.

"Are you sure? How about some water? You need to stay hydrated."

"I can… get it myself. I'm not THAT sick."

Asriel sighed. It sounded like a sigh of relief.

Frisk understood all too well why Asriel was distressed. "Asriel, are you okay? I know this must bring back terrible memories…"

"…I'll get her some water," Asriel said. He left the room.

"No… brother…" Chara protested.

"Let us take care of you," Frisk told her. "You've been through so much today. You deserve some rest."

"Frisk… you…" Chara struggled to finish her sentence.

"…Chara…?"

"You… care about me too much…"

"...Maybe I do…"

Chara groaned and looked even more nauseated.

Frisk got out of his chair and went straight to Chara's side. "What's wrong?"

"No… g-get away from me…" Chara turned away.

Frisk turned Chara back over so she was facing him. "Let me help-"

Chara vomited all over Frisk. He was covered in a putrid stench. It smelled like dead flowers.

"Oh…" is all Frisk had to say.

"S-sorry, Frisk!" Chara apologized.

Frisk was far more concerned about Chara than himself. He couldn't bear to think about the torture that she had endured, and was still enduring. He hated seeing her in so much pain. How could anyone have done this to her? He understood why people wanted her dead. He even understood why they wanted to torture her, but the length they had gone was unbelievably cruel. They forced her to relive the moment where she had given up everything.

"…Why did you put yourself through this?" Frisk asked. "I mean, why did you kill yourself in such a slow and painful way when you could have…"

"…Stabbed myself or something?" Chara asked.

"Well… yeah…"

"It had to look natural," Chara explained. "I didn't want anyone to know that Asriel had planned to escape the barrier and kill humans. They might have viewed him as a murderer, so my plan was to make it look like Asriel absorbed my SOUL out of grief. That's why I said that my final wish was to see the golden flowers from my village. It was to protect Asriel. I didn't want him to be seen as a murderer. I wanted him to be seen as someone who had to defend himself while he was just trying to honor his dead sister."

Asriel entered the room. "Alright, here's the… oh… uh… I'll get you some new clothes, Frisk." Asriel handed Frisk the glass of water and left.

Frisk helped Chara drink the water.

"I don't need you to spoon feed me," Chara argued.

"I want to help you," Frisk told her.

"I don't want to be a burden," Chara said. "That's all I've ever been. I was a burden to my original family, I was a burden to my adoptive family, and now I'm a burden to you."

Frisk held Chara's hand. "Chara… you'll never be a burden to me."

"Frisk, even you know that's not true."

Frisk sighed. She wasn't exactly wrong. Frisk knew that he had forgiven the unforgivable, but he refused to hate her. It was so easy to hate someone who had caused pain. It was so easy to see them as an immoral demon, but that was not always true. There was so much more to Chara than the two-dimensional villain that most people saw her as.

"I love you," Frisk told her. "Even if the whole world tells me I'm insane for it, I'll still love you."

Chara laughed weakly. "You ARE insane! We both are."

Again, she wasn't wrong. Frisk himself had done unforgivable things for her. Both of them had acted like demons. Frisk knew that his friends would never forgive him. He made his choice. He chose her over them. It was a horrible, selfish, and unforgivable thing to do, but he had to live with it.

"Then…" Frisk replied. "Let's be insane together."

Chara giggled. "Oh, why couldn't I just say 'I love you too?'"

Frisk smiled briefly, bur then grew serious again.

"…I know," Chara said. "I'm still going to die. They're just letting me live for a little while longer. Once they get what they want… they'll kill me."

"…You deserve to live," Frisk told her. "And if people think I'm crazy, then so be it."

"You're not crazy," Asriel returned with Frisk's new clothes. "Both of you are good people. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"I wish I could believe that," Chara said.

"It's all in the past now," Asriel said. "You've already done so much good, and soon, we're going to undo all the damage we've done."

"'We?'" Chara asked. "You haven't done anything!"

"Chara… I killed every single person underground out of boredom."

"Yes, but… you were soulless."

"So were you."

Chara sighed. "Okay, then. We're just a big happy family of murderers, aren't we?"

"I guess so," Asriel said. "The Demurrer murderers..."

"But not anymore," Frisk reminded them.

"Right," Asriel said.

"You murderers are just about to save this world." Gaster appeared out of nowhere.

"Gaster? What are you doing here?" Frisk asked.

"Your task is already complete," Gaster revealed. "With my guidance, Lucida has reached LV 20. She has asked that you all come to the Royal Auditorium where we will create your new SOULs."

That was amazing news. Everything had been taken care of before they even knew it.

Frisk helped Chara out of her bed.

"Frisk," Asriel said. "Are you sure she should-"

"She has to see this," Frisk said.

"…You're right," Asriel agreed.

"Can you walk?" Frisk asked Chara.

"Yes." Chara walked to the door to demonstrate her walking prowess.

"Okay," Frisk said. "You two can go ahead. I'll catch up."

"Don't worry, I'll watch over her," Asriel promised.

"Don't take too long," Chara said.

Chara and Asriel left. Gaster remained.

"Uh… I kind of have to change my clothes," Frisk said. "So… uh… can I have some privacy please?"

"None of this had to happen, you know," Gaster said. "If you had never done your genocide, Chara wouldn't have taken over, and you could have enjoyed peace. No one would have had to die, and Lucida wouldn't have had to kill to correct your mistakes."

"I'm well-aware," Frisk said. "More than you know."

"You're right. I don't know, and that's what frustrates me. You're far from the first genocidal Frisk I've met, and yet, I cannot predict you. Some Frisks deeply regret their genocide, and others are just total psychopaths. Even after visiting so many timelines, I don't understand how you work."

"…That's just how people are," Frisk said. "We are all different. We all have our own preferences and beliefs. There's nothing wrong with it."

"And what of those who believe in something wicked such as the destruction of an entire race?" Gaster asked. "What about people who kill for sport? What about people who wish to destroy the entire world?"

"…I'd try to make them understand why they're wrong," Frisk answered. "I'd try to show them a better way, and make them better people. Anyone can be a good person if they try."

"But not everyone tries, Frisk. Well… I suppose I've kept you long enough. I'll see you soon." Gaster faded away.

* * *

Chara and Asriel entered the auditorium. So many people had gathered there. Asgore, Toriel, Undyne and Alphys, Sans, Papyrus, Mettaton, Robin, Monster Kid, Gerson, Grillby, Purple, Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange, Aqua, and many others that Chara didn't recognize.

And of course, Lucida was on the stage.

"Where's Frisk?" Chara asked. "He's taking a while."

"…There he is," Asriel said. He pointed back to the entrance. Frisk had just arrived. Chara was filled with relief.

"There you are!" Chara exclaimed. "What took you so long? You had me worried!"

"S-sorry," Frisk apologized. He looked distracted, like he was in deep thought.

"Is everything all right?" Chara asked.

"Y-yes," Frisk answered.

"Hey," Asriel said. "Why don't you talk to some of the people here before it's time to start?"

"Good idea," Frisk said.

"…Okay," Chara agreed. It was going to be tough, but Chara couldn't hide from everyone anymore.

Chara and Frisk started with their fellow six humans who had traveled to Mount Ebott.

"Uh… hey…" Chara nervously said.

Yellow smiled at her. "You've done good, kid."

"R-really?"

"Yeah," Yellow said. "And don't worry about that battle we had. I know a thing or two about justice. If I wanted to kill you, I would have loaded my trusty revolver with real bullets."

Blue laughed. "We all knew we had no chance against you! Everything went according to plan!"

"Yeah," Aqua said. "Well, except for my impatient brother Orange here. He totally thought he could take you, by himself!"

Orange held his head down in shame. "I couldn't beat her…"

"Aw, it's okay big brother," Aqua comforted Orange.

"I'm so sorry for hurting all of you," Chara apologized.

Frisk looked at Green and Purple. "I forced you two to risk your lives for us. I don't expect you to forgive me."

"It's okay, Frisk," Green assured him. "I would have done the same thing for Purple."

"You two have shown us all the true meaning of determination," Purple said. "No matter how bad things look, never give up, and keep living."

"Thank you," Chara said. "The six of you helped show me that I was wrong about humanity, and you stopped me just before it was too late. I will always be in your debt."

Chara and Frisk talked to Sans and Papyrus next.

"Oh, hey," Papyrus said when he saw them approach. "I want you to know that I believe in you again! You did some bad things, but I always knew that everyone can be a great person if they just try! Right, Sans?"

Sans remained silent.

"Sans…? Hello?" Papyrus nudged Sans.

"I don't expect you to forgive us, Sans," Frisk said. "All I can say is that we are sorry. I know that doesn't change anything. Even after today, the scars of our actions will never fully heal. We know that."

"Just… leave me alone," Sans said.

"…I understand," Frisk said.

Frisk walked away. He tried to stay strong, but he couldn't stop a tear from running down his cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Frisk," Chara apologized.

"…Let's just get on with this," Frisk said.

Chara and Frisk walked onto the stage with Lucida.

"Why do you look so sad, Frisk?" Lucida asked. "You should be happy. Everything you've fought for is about to be achieved."

"I know," Frisk said. "But… some of our friends are never going to forgive us."

"Well…" Lucida said. "Give them some time. Maybe when they've had their SOULs back for a while, they'll change their minds."

Chara was confused. Since when did Lucida become so… caring towards them?

She had to ask. "Uh… that's awfully kind of you to say. Um… if you don't mind me asking, what exactly did you do to reach LV 20?"

"I've… seen things," Lucida replied. "Gaster took me to other timelines, and I've never learned so much in such a short time."

"…I'm sure it's an interesting story," Frisk said.

"Yes, maybe I'll tell you sometime when this is over."

Gaster appeared on stage. "It seems that everyone is here. Let's get started."

"Yeah," Frisk agreed.

"I'm ready," Lucida said.

"Good." Gaster summoned his enhanced DT Extraction Machine and used it on Lucida. Lucida looked like she was in great pain, but it was over soon. Lucida's body collapsed to the ground lifeless, and a monster SOUL appeared in a capsule stored in the machine.

"Yes..." Gaster said. "One LV 20 monster SOUL. Here's your payment."

Suddenly, a thousand capsules containing both human and monster SOULs filled the auditorium. Chara's eyes widened, and her pulse elevated.

"Gaster…." Chara said. "Where did these SOULs come from?"

"Does it matter?" Gaster asked.

"YES!" Chara shouted. "This isn't what we agreed on! You said you would use Lucida's SOUL to create _new_ SOULs! WHERE DID THESE SOULS COME FROM?!"

"Various doomed timelines," Gaster responded. "These SOULs were all taken from people who didn't have a chance."

"You don't know that!" Chara yelled. "If they were alive, they could have been saved! You didn't have to kill them! You're a murderer!"

"I don't understand," Purple said. "I thought monster SOULs normally couldn't survive without their Essences, and that was why we needed the LV 20 SOUL."

"That's not entirely false," Gaster said. "But not entirely true, either. It's just a very delicate process, and the SOULs must be kept safe in my stasis capsules."

"But… what do you want with Lucida's SOUL?" Frisk asked. "Why couldn't you just do this the way we wanted?"

"SOUL production costs SOUL power," Gaster said. "Forcing a SOUL to create more SOULs lowers its LV. I would rather keep my LV 20 SOUL."

"But what do you want with it?" Frisk asked again.

"Simple, Frisk. Power. With enough of these monster SOULs, I can repair my damaged Essence, and then I will be fully reborn. I will be able to use any SOUL to its maximum potential, and I will become God of all Timelines! Under my protection, no timeline will ever suffer again! There will be no more war, no more genocide… no more Frisks!"

"What…?" Frisk said.

"Yes, Frisk. Even after traveling through so many timelines, I still don't understand you. You are never the same. You can be a loving pacifist, a genocidal murderer, or anything in between. You are an anomaly. I can't allow something so unpredictable to exist. When I become God, my first action will be to wipe out every Frisk from every timeline before they reach Mount Ebott! And there will never be genocide ever again!"

"But… how will the monsters escape the underground?" Frisk asked.

"The monsters will just have to wait for another human, so they can take their SOUL like they did with the others," Gaster said.

"But then there might be war between humans and monsters!" Frisk argued.

"I will make sure that doesn't happen," Gaster said.

"How?" Frisk asked. "Through power? Through violence? Through fear?"

"How else?" Gaster answered.

"How many people will have to die to achieve your peace?" Frisk asked.

"…As many as it takes," Gaster answered.

Was Gaster serious? He was completely insane!

"Peace like that isn't peace at all!" Frisk exclaimed. "How could someone who would murder his own wife for power deserve to become God?"

"My wife died long ago," Gaster replied. "My entire family did."

"…I won't let you take her," Chara said. She began casting a spell.

But... she wasn't strong enough. Chara collapsed from her illness.

 _No..._

No matter how hard she tried, Chara couldn't gather the strength to fight. She felt so useless.

"How pathetic," Gaster said. "Well, I really ought to get going now. I have more SOULs to take."

"Gaster, don't do this!" Frisk pleaded. "You're soulless! You're not thinking clearly!"

"Sorry, Frisk, but I'm not another broken tool for you to fix. Goodbye."

Just before Gaster teleported away, something hit him. It was some kind of spell capable of blocking his long range teleportation. He turned and saw Sans staring at him angrily.

"Let me go, son," Gaster said.

"You said it yourself," Sans said. "You're not my father. Now, put my mother down, or you're gonna have a bad time."

Gaster laughed. "If you keep pushing me, I think we both know who's going to have the bad time here."

The light drained from Sans's eyes. "No…"

"Yes," Gaster said. "If you don't let me go, I'll be forced to use my special attack."

Sans tried to hide his fear. "Bring it on."

"Very well," Gaster said. "My special attack: Real Nightmare. Your spirit will be taken to another timeline, one that will remind you of your greatest sins and fears."

Gaster casted his dark magic on Sans, and Sans fell unconscious.

Chara had to do something. She tried to get back up.

"Chara…" Frisk said. "Take my SOUL."

"N-no," Chara said. "That's an evil power! That's the power I used to start a war!"

"You have to! You need my strength, and I need your magic! We have to work together to defeat Gaster!"

Chara closed her eyes. "…Okay, Frisk. I'll take your SOUL."

Chara used the ability that she hated using more than anything else. She possessed Frisk, and she felt much stronger with Frisk's LV 19 SOUL.

 _And from not being poisoned,_ Frisk added.

 _That too!_

Chara unleashed her knife magic on Gaster. Gaster's long range teleportation may have been blocked, but he could still teleport short distances. Chara couldn't land a single knife.

"Well, don't just sit there!" Undyne shouted. "Let's kill this freak!"

Everyone who knew magic joined the fight. Gaster summoned his Gaster blasters all around the room. What was supposed to be the world's true return of peace immediately erupted into a massive battle. Everyone fought to get past Gaster's weapons.

Of all people, Papyrus was the first to break through. He actually had his own blaster, and he used it to destroy one of Gaster's blasters and run onto the stage.

 _Huh..._ Chara thought. _Papyrus must be stronger than I gave him credit for._

 _Yeah, go Papyrus!_ Frisk cheered.

Papyrus attempted to reason with Gaster. "Dad, this isn't you! You're a nice person!"

"Ah, Papyrus, so innocent," Gaster said. "Why don't you visit a timeline where you learn the dangers of your naivety?"

Gaster used his special attack on Papyrus, and Papyrus was locked into the same state as Sans.

 _"_ PAPYRUS! _"_ Chara tried to wake him, but he was out cold.

Working together as a squad, the six humans broke through next. Gaster tried to use Real Nightmare on them, but it had no effect.

"What do we have to fear?" Orange asked. "We saved the world! And we will gladly do it again!"

"Figures," Gaster said. "The six of you never do much other than die, and you've all died twice already. Shall we make it thrice?"

Purple, Green, and Yellow used their magic attacks on Gaster. Gaster easily continued to teleport away, and he fought back with shadow magic. The humans scrambled to avoid Gaster's deadly attacks.

"What are we supposed to do?" Orange asked. "We don't know magic! I can't punch a ghost!"

"Here!" Undyne shouted. She threw them defensive spears just like the one she gave Frisk during their battle. Orange, Aqua, and Blue used them to defend the other three from Gaster's magic.

"This isn't exactly my style," Blue said. "But it's better than nothing."

"Be patient," Aqua said. "Gaster can't keep dodging forever."

"Neither can we," Orange replied. "Keep attacking!"

With half of the humans defending, the other half was able to focus entirely on offense. Combined with Chara's knives and the occasional shots from the people still trying to reach the stage, it was finally starting to become too much for Gaster to avoid perfectly. Gaster started taking some hits.

"Ugh... Well, this had been fun," Gaster said. "But I'm afraid that Sans's spell is just about to wear off."

 _No, I won't let you!_

 _Chara, don't!_

Chara infused her knife with magic and charged at Gaster. Gaster turned Chara's SOUL blue and pushed her back. Chara fought it with all her strength, but Gaster was stronger. Chara was swept off her feet and sent flying backwards into the wall. She was dazed from the impact.

 _Come on, you're okay! But be more careful!  
_

Chara smiled. _Right, I gotta remember that this body is a loaner._

 _Don't worry about me! Worry about Lucida!_

Chara looked up and saw Gaster holding up Lucida's SOUL, taunting them. "Thanks again. Goodbye."

Gaster's teleportation was blocked by the same spell again.

He became frustrated. "Oh, what is it now?"

Another ghostly figure appeared. Chara couldn't believe what she was seeing.

 _Frisk... is that...?_

 _Yeah... that's another Gaster._

The new Gaster stared at his counterpart with anger in his eyes.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!"


	31. Wake Up

" **This is all just a bad dream… And you're NEVER waking up!"**

 **-Flowey**

* * *

Sans saw himself talking to Frisk in the MTT Resort. He remembered all too well what he was about to say.

"You know what would have happened if she hadn't said anything?" the other Sans asked Frisk.

The other Sans closed his eyes. "…Buddy."

The light disappeared from the other Sans's eyes, an expression he only made when he was dead serious.

"…You'd be dead where you stand."

Sans could see the shocked expression on Frisk's face. A shiver ran down his spine.

"…Hey, lighten up, bucko!" the other Sans said. "I'm just joking with you."

That was a lie.

Suddenly, Sans was no longer viewing that scene. He was taken to the sealed door of the ruins. He saw Frisk exit. The other Sans approached him.

"Uh… hello," Frisk said. "I'm… a human. I know you must not see a lot of those around here, but-"

The other Sans tore Frisk apart with Gaster blasters.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Sans shouted. "He hasn't done anything wrong yet!"

But it was pointless. Sans was only here in spirit. He couldn't interact with this timeline.

Frisk RESET, and the other Sans confronted him again.

"Please…" Frisk said. "I just want to be friends."

The other Sans killed Frisk again.

 _No… this can't be what would have happened. It can't be…_

Frisk RESET again. "I'm not going to hurt-"

Frisk was killed yet again. He RESET and was killed several times. He never put up any resistance other than pleading for Sans to stop.

Gaster appeared and looked at Sans.

"Look at yourself," Gaster said. "Killing an innocent child. If it weren't for the whims of some old lady, you would have murdered Frisk in cold blood several times over just for the crime of being a human. You fear Frisk's power, so you want to kill him while you have the chance. You want to kill Frisk because of what he COULD do… the exact same reason why the humans declared war on monsters… and the same reason why Chara wanted to destroy humanity."

"And the same reason why you want to kill every Frisk," Sans said. "How are you any better?"

"Admit it, Sans. You know that our multiverse would be better without Frisk. Join me. Help me purge this anomaly."

"You're insane."

"You know, this isn't the only timeline like this. Why don't you watch another?"

Suddenly… another Gaster appeared.

"What's the rush?" the new Gaster asked. "Let him see what happens next."

Frisk RESET again.

"OKAY!" Frisk shouted. "If you really hate me that much… I won't come back. I'll just… live with Toriel…. like she wanted me to."

Frisk waited for Sans to kill him again… but Sans just stared at him.

"What do you want? A fight?" Frisk asked. "That's not why I came here. I just wanted to help you, but if you don't want my help, then I won't bother you. Now, go ahead and kill me so I can get back in the ruins."

"...Maybe you're not so bad after all," the other Sans said.

"You're… you're not going to kill me?"

"…We'll see."

Frisk looked dubious for a while, but his distrust quickly lifted. He smiled and embraced Sans in a warm hug.

"Thank you!" Frisk exclaimed. "I'll be good, I promise!"

"I… I don't understand," Sans said. "I just killed you over a dozen times…"

"But I understand you," Frisk said. "I know you're afraid of me, but I won't hurt anyone. I swear it."

The old Gaster looked irritated. "So what? If it weren't for his RESET ability, he would be dead!"

"But he's not," the new Gaster replied. "Now, get out of my son's head!"

The old Gaster vanished, and the new Gaster reached out to Sans.

"Come with me, son."

"Dad…?"

"Yes, it's me. Your real father."

"I thought you were dead."

"I am, but you're not. Your family needs you. Frisk needs you. Everyone needs you."

Sans reached out to his father.

"Wake up, Sans."

* * *

Papyrus saw himself talking to Frisk. He remembered the moment. It was when he tried to capture him.

"I PITY YOU... LONELY HUMAN... WORRY NOT! YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE YOUR..."

"NO... NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG! I CAN'T BE YOUR FRIEND! YOU ARE A HUMAN! I MUST CAPTURE YOU! THEN, I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM! POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS! THAT'S PAPYRUS! THE NEWEST MEMBER... OF THE ROYAL GUARD!"

"…Okay, then," Frisk said. "Capture me. I surrender."

 _Uh… that's not what happened…_

"YOU… SURRENDER…? UH… I MEAN… HA! OF COURSE YOU SURRENDER! YOU'RE TOO WEAK! I WAS EASILY ABLE TO CAPTURE YOU! I WILL NOW SEND YOU TO THE CAPTURE ZONE! OR, AS SANS CALLS IT... OUR GARAGE? YOU'RE IN THE DOGHOUSE NOW! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"

"No," Frisk said. "Just take me straight to Undyne. You want to impress her, right?"

"UH… WELL… OKAY! SHE WAS GOING TO AMBUSH YOU IN WATERFALL, BUT I GUESS SHE WON'T HAVE TO NOW!"

The scene changed, and Papyrus viewed himself in the castle at New Home. Undyne and Asgore were there, and Frisk was being held prisoner.

"I DID IT!" the other Papyrus exclaimed. "I CAPTURED A HUMAN! NOW, I CAN JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD, RIGHT?"

"Uh… yes, Papyrus," Undyne said. "We'll make you… the most important royal position."

"REALLY? WHAT POSITION IS THAT?"

"Uh… that IS the position. The Most Important Royal Position."

The other Papyrus's eyes sparkled. "WOWIE! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM FINALLY FULFILLING MY DESTINY!"

"Yes… I'm very proud of you."

"Undyne…" Asgore said.

Undyne nodded. "Uh… Papyrus… for your first task as The Most Important Royal Position, I order you to… uh… go… check on your brother."

"SANS? WHAT DID HE DO THIS TIME?"

"He… um… j-just go check on him, okay!"

"WELL, OKAY! BUT FIRST, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THE HUMAN? I WOULD LIKE TO HANG OUT WITH HIM SOMETIME!"

Undyne started to sweat. "…The human is going on a vacation… In fact, a lot of us are going on vacation soon."

"A VACATION? REALLY? AND YOU DIDN'T INVITE THE GREAT PAPYRUS?!"

"We need you here, Papyrus. As The Most Important Royal Position, we need you to watch over things back home."

After being hardened by all the murder and war in his timeline, Papyrus knew that Undyne was full of crap. He knew what _going on vacation_ meant: death. Even his naïve counterpart was getting suspicious.

"HMM… I DON"T KNOW… IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO DITCH ME, BUT YOU WOULDN'T DO THAT! WE'RE BEST FRIENDS!"

Undyne was getting desperate. "Papyrus… we're not-"

"I can't watch this anymore!" Asgore abruptly shouted. Tears were starting to form in his eyes. "WE'RE GOING TO KILL HIM, OKAY? I'm going to kill him, take his SOUL, and reclaim the surface from humanity!"

"A-Asgore…!" Undyne shouted.

Papyrus understood this perfectly well, but the other Papyrus was in shock. "K-kill…? But… he's not even a bad person!"

Undyne rested a hand on the other Papyrus's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but we have to, for the good of us all."

The other Papyrus shoved Undyne's hand away. "No! You never told me that capturing a human meant killing them! You're a liar! I've never felt so betrayed!"

Undyne gritted her teeth. "This human's continued existence is a crime! His life is all that stands between us and our freedom!"

"But-"

"It's okay, Papyrus," Frisk said. "I want them to have my SOUL."

Everyone stared at Frisk in disbelief.

"No…" Undyne muttered. "A human wouldn't care about us enough for that. A human wouldn't die for us."

"…Yes, they can," Asgore asserted.

Undyne became frustrated. "Fine then!" She readied an energy spear and pointed it at Frisk. "If you're so eager to die for us, then die!"

"No…!" the other Papyrus shouted.

"Undyne…. let me do it," Asgore commanded.

Undyne backed off. "Right… he's all yours, sire."

Asgore walked up to Frisk. "I'm sorry, human. We will always remember your sacrifice. Goodbye."

"Asgore, no…!" the other Papyrus persisted. "How are you going to remember him? You don't even know his name!"

"Undyne… get Papyrus out of here," Asgore ordered.

"Yes, sire." Undyne looked at the other Papyrus. "Come on, Papyrus. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"I'm not going anywhere!" the other Papyrus exclaimed. "Let the human go! I'll… I'll fight you if I have to!"

"Papyrus…"

Undyne and the other Papyrus stared at each other in a standoff.

Suddenly, the doors to the room swung open.

"Hey."

"Sans!" the other Papyrus exclaimed. "Asgore and Undyne are trying to kill the human!"

"Yes…" Sans said. "That… would be a terrible idea."

Undyne clenched her fists. "Not you too! The human will die! And nothing you say will…"

Sans nonchalantly strolled over to Frisk and grabbed him.

"H-hey…!" Undyne yelled. "You can't just-"

"Yes I can," Sans said.

"Let me go, Sans," Frisk said. "I want this. My life isn't worth your freedom."

"Maybe not," Sans admitted. "But your life isn't the only one at risk here."

"Sans…" Undyne said. "The humans took everything from us! It's time we fought back!"

"You really want a war with the humans?" the other Papyrus asked. "What's wrong with you?!"

"With the seven SOULs, Asgore will become a god!" Undyne replied. "Nothing will be able to stop him! Now, put him down, Sans!"

"I can't do that," Sans said. "I made a promise… to a nice old lady who lives in the ruins."

Asgore gasped.

"…Let him go," Asgore commanded.

"But… sire…"

"Let the human go," Asgore repeated.

"Thank you," Sans said. "Come on, human. Let's go."

"But… how will you ever escape this place?" Frisk asked.

"We'll figure something out," Sans answered. "In the meantime, I believe Undyne has something to say to my brother."

Undyne sighed. "Alright, Papyrus. Here's the truth: I never had any intention of letting you join the Royal Guard."

Papyrus had figured this out already, but his counterpart could hardly believe it. "Wh-what…? Why?"

"Because you're too innocent and nice!" Undyne exclaimed. "It's not even that you're a bad fighter! I just can't send someone like you to the battlefield! You'd get torn to little smiling shreds! That's why I tried teaching you how to cook! I was trying to get you to do something else with your life!"

After a long pause, the other Papyrus sighed. "I just… wanted to be important. Sans followed in our father's footsteps with his science, so I wanted to be like my mother and join the Royal Guard. I know I'm hardly a killer, but in his short time here, the human has proven that fighting isn't the only way to fight! He made it all the way to Snowdin without hurting a single person!"

"Papyrus…" Undyne said. "You ARE important. I'm sure Lucida is very proud of you."

Papyrus felt nothing, but his counterpart started to tear up.

"Papyrus…"

"I just… caught something in my eye."

"Tears?"

"M-maybe…"

"Papyrus…" Undyne said. "Can we… still be friends…?"

The other Papyrus was silent for a while.

"…OF COURSE!" the other Papyrus happily exclaimed. "WE HAD A ROUGH SPOT, BUT WE GOT THROUGH IT! STOPPING EACH OTHER FROM STARTING WARS IS WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!"

Undyne laughed. "I'm pretty sure that's false, but okay!"

"Come on, Paps," Sans said. "Let's take the human to Grillby's. I know a shortcut."

"…I don't understand," Frisk said.

"HUMAN!" Papyrus exclaimed. "IT"S TIME TO GIVE UP GIVING UP!"

"That's right," Sans said. "You can't die. Someone really cares about you."

"…Okay," Frisk said. "We'll find another way."

"Human…" Undyne said. "We'll meet again."

"We will," Frisk replied.

Frisk, Sans, and the other Papyrus left for Grillby's.

Papyrus heard something. It was Sans, talking directly to him.

"I'm pretty great, aren't I? I hate to think what might have happened if I hadn't shown up."

Sans sounded like he was right next to him, but he couldn't see him. "Sans…? How…?"

"Long story short…" Sans said. "Somehow, our REAL father came back to bail us out."

"Our father…?"

Sians went silent… and together they viewed yet another scene: the time when Sans and Alphys were trying to fix the RESET machine.

"Sans…" Alphys said. "We've been at this for so long. I think… we have to accept that it can't be fixed."

"NO!" the other Sans shouted. "We can't give up! As long as we stay determined, we can save them!"

"I'm sorry… but they're all gone… Even your father. No amount of determination will change that."

The other Sans looked down in depression. "…What does it matter? Nothing really matters, anyway. I don't care anymore."

"You don't mean that..."

"Just… leave me alone."

"Sans…"

The other Sans grabbed the machine. "I'm taking this home. I'll never see them again, but I'll never forget."

"Sans…" Papyrus said. "Can we ever be happy again? Watching that other Papyrus made me realize how much I've changed. He was so much happier. I don't know if I can ever be happy again after what's happened."

"I don't know," Sans answered. "But I do know this: it's time to give up giving up."

Sans's encouragement reinforced Papyrus's determination. "...YOU'RE RIGHT! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! AND I WILL PROTECT ALL MY FRIENDS!"

Papyrus woke up.

* * *

"ASRIEL…!"

Chara destroyed the blaster that was attacking Asriel, and he used the opportunity to slip through Gaster's defenses and reach the stage.

"What's going on here?" Asriel asked. "TWO Gasters…?"

"I don't know," Chara answered. "But we have to keep Sans and Papyrus safe!"

The hostile Gaster fired a blaster at Sans. Chara deflected it with a barrier spell.

"Attacking his own son while he's sleeping?!" Asriel exclaimed. "Even by my standards, that's sick!"

Chara blocked another attack aimed at Papyrus.

Asriel shook Sans. "Come on you lazybones! Wake up!"

"It's no use," Chara said. "They won't wake up no matter what we do."

"Heh, heh… Okay, I'll get my lazy butt up, now."

Chara gasped. "Sans!"

Both Sans and Papyrus woke up.

"What happened to you?" Asriel asked. "Do you know anything about that second Gaster?"

"So, basically…" Sans said. "The Gaster we've been dealing with (who I'll call… 'the invader') isn't actually from our timeline, and he was just using us to steal Lucida's LV 20 SOUL. The new Gaster, the _real_ Gaster, is the one from our timeline, and he's not too happy about the invader trying to murder his wife."

"So… shouldn't this be easy now?" Chara asked. "We have our own Gaster on our side, and we outnumber him!"

Sans winked. "Yeah… we've got this in the bag now."

"Well…" the invader said. "I think it's safe to say our deal is off now. If you won't let me have Lucida, I won't let you have these SOULs. I can only use them at a fraction of their full potential, but I have a lot of them!"

The invader recalled all of the SOULs that he was going to give them, and he used them to strengthen himself. He looked at the friendly Gaster.

"Why did you have to wake Sans and Papyrus? They were having such a nice nap!"

The invader rushed Gaster. Because they were both ghosts, they were able to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Unfortunately, the friendly Gaster was no match for the invader. The invader rapidly punched Gaster in the face several times with almost no difficulty.

"Uh… okay, maybe not," Sans said.

"We have to help him!" Asriel exclaimed.

Chara threw energy knives at the invader and forced him to teleport away from Gaster.

"I don't know who _this_ devil is," Gaster said. "But I'm no fighter."

"You're too weak," the invader said. "All the deaths in this timeline was enough to awaken you, but you haven't absorbed nearly as much power as I have."

The invader was struck from behind by a barrage of Purple's fire magic and Yellow's revolver.

"UGH! THAT"S IT!"

Just for a moment, the invader turned every single one of his blasters on the humans. All six of them were blown away. They all collapsed to the ground and started to form a large, red puddle.

"A-Asriel…" Aqua said. "I think it's time for Plan B."

Asriel's eyes widened.

"What's she talking about?" Chara asked.

"Plan B…" Asriel said. "What we would have done if we couldn't get you to surrender."

Chara figured it out.

"I might need your help," Asriel said. "They're a bit far from here."

The invader turned his attention to Chara. "Chara… I think it's time you tried my special attack."

The invader tried to use Real Nightmare on Chara, but it had no effect. Both Chara and the invader were confused.

"Why am I immune?" Chara asked. "I would think that I would NEVER wake up from an attack like that."

"That's just it," Gaster said. "He can't give you a nightmare… because you're already in one. There's nothing he can show you that you haven't seen already."

Chara laughed bitterly. "Wow… now THAT'S sad!"

 _But it's not too late to wake up,_ Frisk said.

Yellow reloaded his revolver. "Six shots… and six of us. Funny, how that works out."

Yellow shot the other five humans and then himself. The six humans died, and their SOULs floated out of their bodies. The invader tried to shoot them down. Chara used her force magic to quickly pull them into Asriel, and he absorbed the six SOULs.

"Asriel…" Chara pointed to her comatose body. "Take my SOUL too."

"But, Chara…"

Chara picked up her unconscious body and slit its throat. Her SOUL came out.

"Take it!" Chara yelled.

"…Okay, but you're gonna be fine! Promise!"

"I will."

Asriel absorbed Chara's SOUL. With the seven SOULs, Asriel transformed into his godlike form.

"Ah, it's nice to be out of that flower," Asriel said. "I still can't feel things like compassion without at least one monster SOUL, but I guess I won't be needing any of that right now."

Asriel landed a direct hit on the invader with his lighting. He grimaced as the magical electricity coursed through him.

The invader laughed. "You think you've won, God of Hyperdeath? Because you're really big? I can do big, too."

The invader recalled all of his blasters and combined them into one giant blaster that covered half of the stage. He fired it at Asriel, and he cried out in pain.

"ASRIEL…!" Chara shouted.

"Even with all this power…" Asriel said. "I don't know if I can take much more of those."

The invader shot Asriel again, and Asriel collapsed. It looked like one more good attack would be the end of him.

And it was coming. The invader charged his blaster for one final shot.

Chara's heart stopped. "Brother...!"

The blaster fired. A continous beam of destructive energy raced towards Asriel.

But... the beam did not hit Asriel. Something was blocking it. Gaster had teleported in front of Asriel. He spread his arms out and held the blaster's destructive magic back.

"DAD! What are you doing?!" Sans asked fearfully.

"L-listen," Gaster cried out, in pain. "Now's your chance! Shoot the blaster!"

"…You heard him!" Undyne shouted. "Attack!"

With the smaller blasters recalled, everyone had a clear shot at the giant one. Everyone poured all of their magical strength into it. Undyne threw her spears. Mettaton fired all of his weapons. Asgore, Toriel, and Grillby used their fire magic. Robin launched sword beams. Asriel unleashed his explosive stars. Chara used her energy knives, and Sans and Papyrus grudgingly fired their own blasters.

At the same time, Gaster forcibly teleported himself and his counterpart right next to the giant blaster. The blaster was destroyed in a brilliant explosion, and both Gasters were caught in the blast. They both fell to the ground and flickered like dying lights.

Sans, Papyrus, and Chara ran to the dying Gasters.

"Dad…" Sans said. "Why? We could have beaten him. You didn't have to do that."

"You know that's not true," Gaster said. "Besides, he was my responsibility."

"No, he wasn't!" Chara shouted. "He wasn't you! And this all happened because of me! If anyone should have sacrificed themself, it's me!"

 _Chara..._

"It's okay," Gaster told them. "I'm just glad no one else got hurt."

The invading Gaster groaned.

"…What do we do with him?" Chara asked.

"Oh, just finish me," the invader snarled. "I'm going to die anyway."

Chara wasn't sure what to do.

"...The Frisk and Chara in your timeline killed a lot of people, didn't they?" Chara asked.

"Oh, for…" The invader held up the capsule containing Lucida's SOUL and began to crush it. "I'll break it. Do you even care? I don't blame you, knowing what she did to you."

"Gaster..."

"If you really want to give me mercy, then give me the mercy of a quick death."

Lucida's capsule started to crack.

Chara stabbed the invader with an energy knife, and she took Lucida's SOUL safely away from him.

"Aw, you do care…" The invading Gaster disappeared for good.

Chara looked at the real Gaster. He didn't look good. He looked like he could fade away at any moment.

"MOM…!" Chara yelled. "Heal him!"

Toriel came over and looked at the dying Gaster. "…I'm sorry… he's beyond healing. His Essence is extinguishing."

Chara barley knew Gaster, but the tears still came. "N-no…! It's not fair! He saved us! He got hurt trying to correct my mistakes!"

"I'm sorry…" Sans told Gaster. "But I don't feel anything right now. I thought you were already dead, but now you're dying right in front of me… and I don't even care."

"Don't worry," Gaster replied. "You will."

"…Yeah… I've got nothing," Papyrus said. "Maybe it's a good thing I don't have a SOUL right now."

"No,' Sans said. "I know I don't seem like the type, but I want to cry. I _need_ to cry, but I can't."

"We won't let your death be for nothing," Chara told Gaster. "Your sons will be brought back to their true selves. I promise."

"Thank you," Gaster said. "Sans… Papyrus… I love you… my children…"

Gaster passed away while looking at his family.

"…Goodbye," Sans told his father.

"...Thank you," Chara whispered. "Thank you for saving my brother. I wish we could have saved you too."

Chara took Lucida's SOUL back to her body and revived her.

"Even after everything I've done to you…" Lucida whispered. "You still saved me?"

"Of course," Chara answered. "We need you. The SOULs that the other Gaster was going to give us are gone, so we still need your LV 20 SOUL."

"Oh…"

"But even if it weren't for that, I still would have saved you. In fact…"

Chara kneeled in front of Lucida.

"I was only kept alive to help save everyone, and now that you're LV 20, there's nothing left for me to do. I've outlived my usefulness. So… I guess it's time for my execution."

Lucida looked at Chara's dead body. "You look pretty dead to me."

Chara was shocked. "What…?"

"You killed, and then you were killed. I would say that the debt is paid."

"…Thank you," Chara said. "I will never be able to do as much good as I've done harm, but I will try."

Robin walked up to Lucida. "Captain… we're not going to kill Chara?"

"Probably not," Lucida said. "Asgore will soon be our king again. Chara's fate is in his hands, and I think I know what his decision will be."

Robin shook inside his armor. "Th-then… I have something to confess. Lucida… I've been lying to you. My name is not really Robin. I made it up. THIS is my true identity."

Robin left his armor and revealed himself as Napstablook.

"Wait… what?!" Lucida shouted. "You're seriously Napstablook?! But… how did you become so… assertive?"

Mettaton flew next to them and bowed. "Thanks to yours truly!"

"So… are you going to arrest me now?" Napstablook asked. "I _am_ a wanted fugitive."

"No," Lucida answered. "If we're letting Chara go, we're definitely letting you go."

"Oh… okay…" Napstablook said. "But… if you really want to, I won't stop you. Sorry if I've inconvenienced you…"

"Heh," Mettaton laughed. "We're still working on it."

Using the last of his godlike power, Asriel revived the humans that he absorbed. Chara returned to her own body, and Asriel turned back into a flower.

"Hey…" Frisk said. "Can we still do this without Gaster?"

"Don't worry," Alphys assured him. "We'll figure it out. We already have the hard part done, getting a LV 20 monster SOUL. We just need a LV 20 human SOUL now."

"Actually…" Lucida said. "I have a LV 20 human SOUL. Gaster gave me one."

"Oh!" Alphys exclaimed. "Then this shouldn't be hard at all!"

"Yeah," Sans said.

"It'll be great to work with you again, Sans," Alphys told him.

"I'll help too," Purple said. "I learned a lot while working with Gaster."

"I want to help too," Chara offered. "I don't know much about science, but…"

"Okay!" Purple exclaimed. "You and Frisk can be our lab assistants."

"What do you need us to do?" Frisk asked.

"Basically, carry stuff for us!"

Well, at they could do _something_ …

Chara smiled. "Will do!"

"Wait…" Frisk said. "Lucida won't have to die, will she?"

"No," Purple said. "We just have to transfer her Essence somewhere else while we create the SOULs. Afterwards, we can put her right back in."

"Thank God…" Chara said. "Enough people have died already."

"Yeah…" Frisk agreed.

Frisk smiled at Chara and reached out his hand.

"Come on," Frisk said. "We're almost out of this nightmare. Let's escape from it together."

Chara couldn't believe that she was actually going to be able to live with him. She held Frisk's hand… and it filled her with determination.

Asriel, Toriel, and Asgore joined them.

"…Let's go," Chara said.

They all left to help create the new SOULs… and end their nightmare once and for all.

* * *

 **AN: Almost done. There will be one more chapter to wrap everything up.**


	32. No More Tears

Frisk woke up. The sun was shining brightly into his room. He checked the time; it was a little past noon. _Wow, I really slept that late?_ Frisk asked himself. _Toriel must be worried about me._ Frisk got out of bed… and checked the other bed in the room. Chara was still sound asleep.

Frisk gently shook Chara awake. She was groggy, but she smiled at him. Frisk smiled back.

"Good morning, Chara."

"Good morning, Frisk."

Frisk laughed. "Actually, it's the afternoon, but whatever!"

"Yeah… we've been working at the lab all day and night… but it finally paid off."

Yes, they had finally done it. After much work, they created the new SOULs, and everyone who possibly could have been revived was brought back to normal. Hundreds of lives were saved. It was a miracle. The majority of the hatred that had formed between humans and monsters subsided, and it looked like the world would truly regain peace.

Chara got out of bed and hugged Frisk.

"I still can't believe it," Chara said. "We actually did it… and now I get to be with you."

Frisk happily returned Chara's hug. "Yeah. Thanks to you, everyone is better now."

Chara frowned. "…Not everyone."

Frisk was so tired of seeing Chara sad.

"…You've done everything you can," he told her. "I forgave you a long time ago, so please… forgive yourself."

"…I'll try…"

Frisk stared into Chara's eyes. They were still filled with so much sorrow… but they were also full of hope.

Chara stared back at him. "…Um… Do you want to… kiss…?"

Even though she had offered, Frisk could tell from her sad expression that she wasn't really in the mood. He actually didn't want to, either. She must have been thinking the same thing that he was.

"Maybe later," Frisk answered.

Chara blushed. "A-are you sure? We can… if you really want to…"

"We can take it slow now," Frisk said.

Their… unusual circumstances had caused their relationship to progress a fair bit faster than they normally would have liked. Before everyone was saved, it was a struggle for them just to get through each day, and they were desperate for each other's comfort. Now that it was all over, the desperation was gone, and all they could feel was guilt. Several people were still dead because of them…. dead forever. The people who died in the battle of Ebott Village… and Gaster. Did Frisk really deserve to be with her, when his love for her had caused that?

"I'm sorry!" Chara exclaimed. "It's not that I don't love you! I still love you! I just… wish I didn't have to feel so guilty about it."

"…Yeah… I feel guilty too," Frisk admitted. "My love for you turned you into a killer… but… it also helped you change back into a good person. You really are a great person. You're determined, brave, strong-willed, and, whether you believe it or not, kind. So, despite everything, I love you, with all my heart."

"…What did I ever do to deserve you?" Chara asked.

Frisk was about to say something, but Chara shushed him. She smiled at him.

"I love you too," Chara said. "That's all that really matters."

Frisk and Chara looked at each other happily.

Asriel, who was finally a goat again, entered the room. "Hey, Dad's… Oh, sorry! Am I interrupting something…?"

"No," Frisk said. "Come on in."

"You sure?" Asriel asked. "You two definitely look like you would rather be alone right now…"

"We're not animals, Asriel!" Chara shouted.

"What? First, maybe I just meant alone to talk! And second, 'not animals,' huh? That's racist!"

Chara threw a pillow at Asriel.

"Haha, okay! I'm sorry!" Asriel said. "Anyway… Dad's here to pick us up."

"Oh, right!" Frisk exclaimed. "Sorry, we overslept!"

"Well, hurry up and get ready."

"Right."

Frisk and Chara got ready for the day. They both dressed up in formal black suits, and then they went to the foyer and greeted Asgore, who, like everyone, was also back to normal.

"Howdy, my children!" Asgore greeted them.

"Hi, Dad," Frisk replied.

Chara bowed. "Greetings, Asgore."

Asgore laughed. "Ah, Chara, always so formal. Relax! I may be a king, but right now, I'm just your father!"

"R-right, sorry Dad!"

Toriel entered the room and held Asgore's hand. Everyone else was surprised.

"Mom…?" Asriel asked. "Are you and Dad…?"

"We have great news," Toriel announced. "You father and I have been talking, and we've decided to get back together!"

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel beamed.

"That's great!" Frisk exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Chara agreed.

"Oh no…" Asriel playfully groaned. "Now I have TWO couples to deal with!"

"Hey, we're not THAT bad!" Chara asserted.

"Oh, really? You two can't get enough of each other! You're almost never apart!"

"We were kind of forced to do that. You know, the whole fugitive thing!"

"And seriously, aren't you two a little young to make out the way you have?"

Chara blushed. "H-how do you know about that?!"

"Oh… uh… sorry…" Frisk apologized.

"Frisk…! That was private!"

"Sorry! I was forced to tell! He interrogated me!"

"Frisk and Chara did WHAT now?!" Toriel exclaimed.

Asriel whispered something to Toriel.

Chara turned into a tomato. "W-we were going through a tough time, okay?!"

"Wow…" Toriel remarked. "That's even worse than the time when Frisk called me 'Mom' and then…"

"Okay…!" Asgore interrupted before Toriel could share even more embarrassing stories. "Now that we've got that sorted out, I'm afraid it's time to move on to the less cheerful part of this day."

Everyone else turned serious as well.

"Yeah…" Frisk said. "Let's go."

* * *

They all went into Asgore's car, and he drove them to their destination: Ebott Village, where a memorial service was being held for the villagers who were forever lost from the attack they had suffered. Frisk couldn't help but feel nervous when he saw the large crowd that had gathered there. Frisk and the others got out of the car and walked into the crowd. Their presence turned everyone's heads. The crowd began murmuring. They kept moving, trying not to draw even more attention.

Someone from the crowd ran up to Chara. "What are YOU doing here?! These people are dead because of you!"

Chara didn't say anything.

"No!" Asriel yelled. "Chara had absolutely nothing to do with the attack here! It wasn't her fault! In fact, she helped STOP the attack! The people who did survive owe her their lives!"

"I… I don't owe her anything!" the stranger said. He must have been a survivor of the attack. "She killed people! She's a murderer!"

Asriel pointed to Asgore and Toriel. "The people she 'killed' are right in front of you!"

The stranger continued to stare angrily at Chara. "She's a monster!"

"You got a problem with that?" a familiar voice asked.

It was Sans.

"It's all over now," Sans said. "Take it from me, just let it go and move on. Just leave her alone."

"…Whatever," the stranger said. "She's not worth it."

He walked away.

"Thank you, Sans," Frisk said.

"Don't get the wrong idea," Sans said. "It's a two way street. You leave me alone, and I'll leave you alone."

"But, Sans…"

"I'm just here to watch the funeral."

Another stranger tapped Frisk's shoulder. Frisk jumped, but the stranger gave him a nonthreatening look.

"Hey," the stranger said. "I just want you to know that not all of us hate you. Some of us respect what you've done… both of you."

"Uh… th-thank you," Frisk replied.

"Yeah… thank you," Chara said.

"We'll make sure no one else bothers you."

They watched the memorial in silence. They could hardly have a proper funeral. The human corpses were all burnt, and they couldn't even identify the victims. As for the monsters, their dust was nowhere to be found. Monsters had a tradition of spreading the dust of their dead on their favorite objects, but that wasn't possible without the dust.

"Some of those corpses could be my family…" Chara muttered. "How could I let this happen?"

"It's not your fault," Frisk reminded her. "The invader did this, not you."

The human corpses were buried. As for the monsters, they tried to stick to tradition as best as they could. They still brought out the deceased's favorite items. They just couldn't infuse the items with their Essences.

Sans put down an item. It was some kind of badge.

They stayed until the funeral was over. Sans started to leave, but Frisk stopped him.

"Sans, please…"

Sans stopped, but he did not look back.

"When Chara killed you, do you remember what your last words were?" Frisk asked him. "You asked me if even the worst person can change. When… I killed you, you asked me the exact same thing. You also asked if anyone can be a good person, if they just try. Now, Chara is proof of that. People really can change, but how can you expect them to change… if you won't let them?"

Sans remained silent.

"…Alright, Sans," Frisk said. "I understand. If you really think it's best, we'll leave you alone."

Frisk started to walk away.

"…I'm so sorry about your father," Chara told Sans. She followed Frisk.

"…Hey," Sans said. "I'm going to Grillby's… want to come?"

* * *

They followed Sans to Grillby's. They went to the bar and sat down.

"Hey, Grillbz," Sans said. "I'll have the usual."

Grillby gave Sans a bottle of ketchup.

"Hmm… do you have any tea?" Frisk asked.

Grillby handed Frisk a glass of golden flower tea.

Frisk smiled. "Ah, golden flower tea! My favorite!"

"Golden flower tea… I'll have some too," Chara said.

"Really…?" Frisk asked. "I thought you were going to get another chocolate shake."

"I've always wanted to try golden flower tea," Chara said.

Frisk supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised. Chara certainly had a strong affinity with the golden flower. To her, golden flowers had always been a symbol of hope.

Grillby handed Chara a glass of the tea. She took a sip.

"How is it?" Frisk asked.

"…It's delicious," Chara said.

"I'll have the same," Asriel said.

"Same here," Toriel said.

"Tea, of course," Asgore said.

Grillby gave them all golden flower tea.

"It's been one hell of a week, huh, Grillbz?" Sans asked.

Grillby didn't say anything, as he usually did.

"You were in the battle against the invader, right?" Sans asked. "I didn't see you much, but I'm sure whatever you were doing, you were dunking on him!"

Grillby just nodded.

"Good to have you back to your old self, Grillby!" Sans said.

"Not me, you," Grillby said.

Sans gulped down his ketchup.

More people came in: Lucida and Papyrus. They sat down.

"Give me the usual, Grillby," Lucida said.

Grillby nodded.

"Think it'll be ketchup?" Frisk whispered to Chara. "Or some other condiment?"

"Nah," Chara whispered back.

"Are you sure? Sans must have gotten his love of condiments from somewhere."

"We'll see."

Grillby handed Lucida another glass of golden flower tea.

Frisk smiled. "Looks like you were right," he told Chara.

Lucida looked at Sans's empty ketchup bottle and shook her head. "You and your father were always such goofballs."

"So I take it you're the adult of the family?" Frisk asked.

Lucida took a sip of her tea. "Yep. It's up to me to keep these guys out of trouble."

"HEY! I'M MATURE!" Papyrus exclaimed.

"Uh… yes, Papyrus. You are! I'm very proud of you!"

"YEAH!" Papyrus exclaimed. "ANYWAY… GRILLBY, I'LL HAVE A NICE GLASS OF MILK! GOTTA KEEP THESE BONES STRONG!"

Green and Purple came out of the kitchen to assist Grillby. Green gave Papyrus some milk.

"Hey," Sans pointed to his empty ketchup bottle. "Can I get another round here?"

"You… drink ketchup…?" Green asked.

"Don't question it!"

"Okay… here…" Green gave Sans a new bottle of ketchup.

Sans gulped it down immediately. "Keep it coming…"

"Sans…" Lucida said. "You usually don't drink this much…"

Sans chugged down his next bottle and slammed it on the table. "Hit me again!"

"Sans, I know you. You haven't drank like this since your father died. That's what this is about, isn't it?"

Sans closed his eyes. "I just don't understand. Why did he have to sacrifice himself like that?"

"I don't understand, either," Chara said. "He said he was responsible, but… that's ridiculous. The invader was not his fault by any means."

"Well…" Purple said. "Unlike yourself and Frisk, most people are essentially the same throughout different timelines. It can be argued that the invader and the Gaster of our timeline were the same person, just dealt different hands of cards. It's likely that Gaster was troubled knowing what he could have become under different circumstances."

"…If even the worst person can change," Frisk said. "Does that mean the opposite is true? Can even the best person become a demon, if only dealt the wrong hand?"

"Hmm… a disconcerting thought, indeed," Purple mused. "There are many timelines out there. Some of them are bound to have versions of ourselves that we wouldn't be proud of."

"But… they're not us," Green asserted. "People change over time, so someone from another timeline must be a completely different person."

"…You're right," Frisk said. "Gaster wasn't the same person as the invader, because it doesn't matter who he was in another timeline. It doesn't matter who someone _could_ be. It doesn't even really matter who someone used to be."

Frisk held Chara's hand. "What matters is who we are right now."

Sans sighed. "Then… why did he have to die?'

"…I'm sorry," Asriel spoke up. "He died to save me. If I was stronger, he wouldn't have had to die."

"Asriel, don't say that," Chara told him. "He died to protect all of us. It wasn't your fault."

"You can't always save everyone," Purple said. "Not everything has a perfect outcome. Not every problem has a 'right' or 'wrong' answer. Who knows what would have happened if Gaster hadn't sacrificed himself?"

Asriel and Sans still looked troubled.

"Hey…" Green said. "Maybe you all should stop worrying so much about 'what-if.' It's important to learn from your mistakes, but eventually, you just have to move on."

"…You're right," Sans said. He held up his ketchup bottle in a toast. "Here's to my father, a noble hero, even after death."

Everyone drank to Gaster's memory.

Even more people came. Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton, Napstablook, and Monster Kid entered. Frisk was starting to think this wasn't a coincidence.

Undyne and Alphys sat down. Grillby gave them some golden flower tea.

"Ah… golden flower tea always hits the spot!" Undyne exclaimed.

"Wait a minute…" Alphys said. "We just were golden flowers a little while ago. Does that mean we're drinking stuff made using our bodies?"

"Oh, come on! Don't make it weird!"

"S-sorry! But… it's good to be back to normal, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Although…. I actually think I'm going to kind of miss having you in my head."

"I know what you mean!" Frisk exclaimed. "Back underground, it was kind of cool having Chara in my head! She was like my guardian angel!"

"Yeah! Exactly!" Undyne replied.

Chara and Alphys both blushed.

Frisk put his arm around Chara. "But, it doesn't beat her having her own body."

Undyne smiled mischievously. "I bet it doesn't!"

Frisk blushed. "I-I mean… I'm… I'm happy for her."

"Fuhuhu! I'm just messing with you! Still, there's nothing to be ashamed of. You both love each other, right?"

"…Yeah…" Frisk mumbled.

"Frisk…? You don't sound so sure…"

Chara blushed profusely.

Undyne smiled. "Alphys… I think they need some help."

Undyne dragged Frisk, Chara, and Alphys away to a booth.

"So, what's the problem here?" Undyne asked.

"P-problem…?" Frisk nervously asked. "We don't have a problem! Our relationship is fine!"

"Ah, denial. Come on, we're friends! You can tell us anything!"

"…We're still friends?" Frisk asked.

"Yeah!"

"…Okay," Frisk said. "Chara and I… still feel guilty."

"…Yeah…" Chara admitted. "I can't even bring myself to… k-kiss him… I feel like I don't deserve him."

Frisk nodded. "And I don't deserve her. We've always felt guilty. It's just that now… we don't need each other so badly anymore, so now the guilt is taking over. We do still love each other! It's just... we can hardly justify staying together, after causing so much pain for others."

"Interesting," Undyne said. "Alphys, you've had a similar experience, right?"

"Uh… y-yes…" Alphys admitted. "The real reason why I was so afraid to talk to Undyne was because I felt like I didn't deserve her, because of what I did to the amalgamates. I felt like all I did was bring pain to others."

"Yes, which is exactly how you two feel," Undyne said. "But then, Alphys told the truth. The amalgamates were sent home, and everything was fine! It's the same thing now. You've corrected your mistakes as best as you can, and now you can move on."

"But, how did you cope with the guilt?" Chara asked Alphys.

"Just look at me!" Undyne exclaimed. "I've killed people, too! But you don't see me crying about it!"

Frisk and Chara gave Undyne concerned looks.

"What?" Undyne asked. "They got better!"

"But does that really make it better?" Chara asked.

Undyne sighed. "Alright, you want to know the secret? I'll tell you two the same thing I told Alphys. Listen carefully…"

Frisk and Chara did so.

"The secret is…" Undyne whispered.

Frisk and Chara eagerly waited for Undyne's advice.

"…GET OVER IT!"

Frisk and Chara recoiled and waited for their ears to recover. They couldn't believe they had fallen for such a classic ruse.

"G-great advice…" Frisk muttered.

"I feel better already…" Chara said sarcastically.

Undyne smiled, ignoring their sarcasm. "You're welcome! Come to me anytime you're feeling down! And we should totally go on a double date sometime!"

Frisk laughed. "Yeah, perhaps we will!"

"I don't know. Is the world ready for that?" Chara asked.

"I g-guess it better be!" Alphys said.

They went back to the bar.

"A date, huh?" Chara whispered to Frisk. "We haven't really been able to do that, have we? I guess we did kind of try that one time, right here at Grillby's, but you know how that turned out."

Frisk smiled. "Well… we could call this a date…"

Chara smiled back. "Okay! Our first real date! But… aren't we supposed to be alone on a date…?"

"Yeah… I guess we brought quite a few friends along."

Mettaton walked up to them. "Hey, my favorite pair of siblings!"

Frisk and Chara both blushed. Did nobody tell him?

Mettaton was either unaware of or simply didn't care about their embarrassment. "Now that everything's back to normal, what are you going to do now? What does the future hold for Frisk and Chara?"

"Well…" Frisk said. "I wish I could resume my job as the Royal Ambassador, but… I don't know if that would be a good idea…"

"Frisk, I think they need you now more than ever!"

"Really?"

"Of course! Believe it or not, everyone misses you! You're still their hero! Now, Chara, what about you?"

"I've been thinking about it," Chara said. "And I've decided to study healing magic and become a healer. Not many humans understand magic anymore, and they've forgotten how incredible it can be. I want to do as much good as I possibly can and use my powers to help people."

"Really?" Toriel asked. "I can certainly help you with that."

"Thanks, Mom."

'How touching!" Mettaton remarked.

"Yeah…" Napstablook agreed.

"Hey, Napstablook," Frisk said. "Thank you. You helped us so much. You kept us safe when we were in trouble. We owe you our lives."

"Oh, gee…" Napstablook said. "Hey… how's your arm?"

"My arm…? Oh, right."

Frisk hadn't checked it in a while. He undid the bandage. The wound had healed, but a scar remained. Chara checked her hand, and her wound had also turned into a scar.

"Oh… I'm so sorry…" Napstablook apologized.

"No, it's okay," Frisk said. "It's time for us to move on, but we should never forget what happened."

Chara nodded in agreement.

Grillby tapped on a glass.

"Grillby would like everyone's attention!" Grillby's interpreter announced. "Someone has requested a group photo!"

"A group photo…? Chara, do you know about this?" Frisk asked.

Chara shook her head. "No."

"Everyone willing, get in!" the interpreter commanded.

Grillby held up a camera. Frisk and Chara held hands, and everyone smiled. Grillby took the shot.

"The client thanks everyone for their participation!" the interpreter announced.

"Brother," Chara said to Asriel. "Do you know what that was about?"

"You'll see…" Asriel teased.

"Asriel…!"

Asriel refused to say more.

"Well, whatever," Frisk said. He smiled at Chara. "Let's just enjoy ourselves now."

Chara smiled back. "Yeah."

* * *

They all stayed until it got dark. When they finally said goodbye, Asgore took them home. Frisk and Chara retired to their room.

"What a day!" Frisk exclaimed.

Chara yawned. "Yeah, tiring though."

"I had a great time with you, Chara."

Chara blushed. "I… had a great time with you, too."

Frisk admired Chara's flustered face. "You're so cute…"

She blushed even more. "Aw… you big flirt!"

Frisk realized that he might have been overdoing it. He was starting to feel less guilty about loving her, but did she feel the same way?

"…I didn't say to stop," Chara told him.

Frisk blushed. "Um…"

Chara giggled. "Now you're the one who's nervous!"

"S-sorry. It's just… um… do you still feel guilty about us?"

"…A little, but… much less now."

Frisk was greatly relieved. "Yeah, all of our friends helped a lot. I still don't know if they all exactly forgive us, but we're at least okay enough to sit and eat in the same room peacefully. That's more than I could have hoped for."

Chara nodded.

"Alright, no more sad stuff!" Frisk declared. "You wanted me to keep flirting, right? I think I've said this before, but I love your eyes! They're such a luscious shade of red! And they look so passionate!"

Chara blushed again. "I like your eyes, too. That silver shade of yours soothes me so much…"

"And I like your hair!"

"Uh… it's pretty much identical to your hair."

"Yeah! So why wouldn't I like it?"

Chara laughed. "So…. are you just going to complement my body?"

"I already told you why I love you as a person, remember?"

"Cheater. Well, I think it goes without saying why I love you."

"Oh?"

"Frisk, do you realize just how nice you are? No matter what, you always try to see the good in people, and you always try to help them. You're too nice for your own good."

"Yeah, and there's a lot of good in you, Chara, even if you don't realize it. I don't want to see you sad anymore. I want to make you happy."

Chara looked at Frisk more seriously. "Then… kiss me…"

Frisk blushed deeply, and his heart raced. "D-do you want to…?"

"Yes."

"Y-you know this isn't all I care about, r-right? I do love you for who you are."

"Of course! I seriously doubt you would have wanted ME if that were the case, no matter how cute you think I am."

"Heh, I guess I can't deny that…"

Chara smiled flirtatiously. "And for the record, I think you're very cute, Frisk."

Frisk's hands were shaking. "S-so… are you sure you want to do this…?"

"Yes, Frisk."

"Will it…. make you happy?"

"So cute..."

Frisk took a deep breath. "Okay…"

Chara was just as flustered. "Wh-why are we so nervous? It's not like we haven't done this before…"

"Well… it is our first time after everything went back to normal."

"Th-then… is it too soon?"

"Hey, we're still on a d-date, right?"

"…Okay then… our first, uh, normal kiss…"

Chara held both of Frisk's hands, and they slowly leaned in to each other. Once their lips met, they kissed as if it really was their first time, slowly and awkwardly. Even so, the warmth and softness of Chara's lips felt so nice. Gradually, they kissed more smoothly as they both became less nervous. Chara gently pushed Frisk back and down on his bed, and she embraced him in a hug as they lied down together. Frisk wrapped his arms around Chara's back and started to kiss her more deeply. He started to use his tongue.

Chara giggled. "'We can take it slow now,' huh?"

Frisk's blush deepened. "S-sorry… was that too much?"

"No… I like it…"

They both began kissing intimately, and Frisk felt his inhibitions wash away. He caressed Chara's back, and Chara gently stoked Frisk's neck. Frisk let out a soft whimper and trembled from the warm and soft sensation of Chara's touch.

Without warning, Asriel opened the door. "Hey… EEEEK!"

Frisk and Chara quickly pulled away from each other.

"NOTE TO SELF!" Asriel screamed. "ALWAYS KNOCK! ALWAYS KNOCK BEFORE ENTERING THIS ROOM!"

"S-s-s-sorry, Asriel…!" Chara apologized.

"'Not animals,' huh?"

Frisk and Chara were both tomatoes.

"Well… at least you didn't do it anywhere weird this time," Asriel said.

"So… uh… want do you want, Brother?" Frisk asked.

"If you two can pry yourselves away from each other, Mom and Dad have something to show you."

Asriel left.

"…I love you," Chara whispered in Frisk's ear.

"I love you too," Frisk whispered back.

"We'll be together forever, won't we?"

Frisk held Chara's hand. "Always."

Chara smiled. "Alright, let's not keep them waiting."

"Right."

They headed for the kitchen, where their family was waiting for them. Frisk smelled the sweet aroma of Toriel's butterscotch pie as they entered. The smell of the pie brought a tear to Chara's eye.

"It's… just like old times," Chara said.

"Yeah," Asriel agreed.

They sat down at the table and helped themselves to some pie.

"Th-thank you, Mom," Chara said.

"You're welcome, dear," Toriel replied.

"Chara," Asgore gave Chara something, her heart locket. "A Royal Guardsman brought this over yesterday. He says he's sorry for taking it."

"My heart locket!" Chara exclaimed. She put it on. "I thought I would never see this again!"

Chara hugged Asriel. "I won't lose it again, Brother. I promise."

"Sister, it's just an object. We'll always be best friends."

"Of course, Asriel."

Asriel was right. It was just an object, yet Frisk couldn't help but feel just a little jealous. He wished that he and Chara shared something like the heart locket.

As if reading his thoughts, Toriel gave Frisk something. It was a wrapped present. "For you, my child."

Frisk unwrapped it. Inside was another heart locket. He opened it. Inside the locket was a picture, the picture that was taken at Grillby's earlier that day. Sans, Papyrus, Lucida, Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton, Napstablook, Monster Kid, Asgore, Toriel, Asriel, himself, and Chara were all in the picture smiling.

Frisk closed the locket before his tears fell on it.

"Thank you…"

"No more tears, my child," Toriel said. "You're with your family now."

Frisk wiped away his tears. "Yes, Mom."

Toriel hugged Frisk. He was reminded of the time when he convinced her to let him leave the ruins.

"It's strange," Toriel said. "It's only been a year, yet you feel so much older than back when I met you. All three of you feel so grown up."

"I guess we had to," Frisk said.

"We're certainly not normal kids," Chara said.

"Well, we are technically teenagers now," Asriel pointed out.

Toriel embraced all three of them in a group hug. "Aw, but no matter how old you get, you will always be my children."

Asgore joined in, and the Dreemurr family was truly reunited.

"…I won't mess it up this time," Chara said.

"Chara..."

"Sorry…"

"It's okay, my child. I'm here now," Toriel told Chara.

"Everything will be fine. I'll keep you safe," Asgore told Chara.

"You really still love me?" Chara asked her parents.

"Of course," Toriel answered. "You're our child. Nothing will ever change that."

"Don't be sad, Chara," Asgore said. "You are your true self now. It's time to put the past behind you."

"Okay," Chara said. "For my family, I will keep living, and I'll try to be happy."

After a while, they broke away from the group hug.

"You _will_ be happy, Chara," Frisk said. "I'll make sure of it."

Chara smiled. "And I'll make sure you're happy too, Frisk."

"We all will," Asriel said. "We're a family."

"Thank you," Chara said.

Frisk opened his locket. He and Chara looked at the picture together.

"…We'll never betray you again," Frisk whispered to their friends.

"Yeah…" Chara agreed. "We swear it."

The Dreemurrs enjoyed their butterscotch pie.

* * *

 **AN: And there you have it!**

" **Well, that was a thing."**

 **-Yang Xiao Long (What? I can quote beyond** _ **Undertale**_ **!)**

But in all seriousness, I know this was a crazy story. It was definitely not for the faint of heart. This has actually been my first real attempt at fiction writing. When I saw that genocide version of the pacifist ending picture, my imagination raced thinking about exactly what had happened. I just had to write a story about it, but I wasn't content with simply writing a story about Chara killing a bunch of people. I always saw Chara as a tragic character slowly turned into a villain by human cruelty, going soulless, and the player/Frisk's genocide, so I set out to write a story of redemption.

I admit, it was kind of, well, cheap to revive everyone, but I would argue that it was all supported by the canon (and it definitely wasn't as cheap as resetting). Yes, I made up some rules, but it mostly builds on the existing canon rather than contradicting it. And honestly, there really couldn't have been a happy ending at all without resurrection. I know that some people say that dead should mean dead, but the game itself had already made me question what it means to be "dead" in the Undertale universe. Of course, I didn't want to make death look entirely inconsequential. That's a major reason why I decided to kill off Gaster. There had to be at least a few permanent consequences for Frisk doing a genocide run.

And of course, I'm sure many of you are wondering how I had the audacity to have Frisk not only forgive Chara, but fall in love with her. Well, one reason is that I wanted Frisk to have a "good" reason for doing a genocide run, and I felt like "curiosity" didn't cut it (It's an acceptable reason for a player to do it, but not so much for a character within the universe where the other characters are actual people.) But having said that, it's really just my personal taste. I promised that I wasn't going to get _too_ carried away with the romance, but I think I might have failed a bit there. Oh, well.

Anyway, thanks for reading all the way to the end. I might return with another story, if I have time. I feel like writing something less serious, less dark, less crazy, less… you get the idea.

Thanks again for reading. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it!

Oh, and this _is_ the ending. If you decide to click on that next chapter... be prepared to have a bad time.


	33. Alternate Ending

**An alternate, darker ending.**

 **Forgiveness** **is hard. What might have happened if Frisk's friends still hated him?**

* * *

"Sans, please…"

Sans stopped, but he did not look back.

"When Chara killed you, do you remember what your last words were?" Frisk asked him. "You asked me if even the worst person can change. When… I killed you, you asked me the exact same thing. You also asked if anyone can be a good person, if they just try. Now, Chara is proof of that. People really can change, but how can you expect them to change… if you won't let them?"

Sans remained silent.

"…Alright, Sans," Frisk said. "I understand. If you really think it's best, we'll leave you alone."

Frisk started to walk away.

"…I'm so sorry about your father," Chara told Sans. She followed Frisk.

"…Go to hell," Sans told them.

Frisk walked away.

"Frisk, are you okay?" Chara asked.

He was fine.

"Frisk…?"

He… he was fine.

"Frisk!"

Frisk buried his face into his hands. Tears rushed out of his eyes.

Chara tried to comfort him, but she started crying too. "I'm s-so sorry!"

Even though they were able to bring the dead their lives back, they couldn't erase their sins.

"Hmph. You two are pathetic."

Frisk looked up and saw Undyne looking at him with her arms folded. With her were Alphys, Mettaton, and Papyrus.

"Serves you right," Undyne said. "Those people being buried are dead because of you. You can blame the invader all you want, but you know he wouldn't have come here if it weren't for you. Their blood is still on your hands."

"You can't blame them for everything!" Asriel argued.

"It doesn't even matter," Undyne replied. "Even if you did save every single person who died, it still wouldn't change what you've done. Your crimes are far beyond forgiveness."

"What does that make you?" Asriel asked. "You killed even more people than Chara did. You led an attack on the humans against Asgore's orders. Are you saying it's okay because Chara started it?"

"Of course not. You're right. My actions, too, are beyond forgiveness, but that doesn't have anything to do with you."

"You're still murderers," Mettaton said. "You still killed us, and that's before you knew it would be possible to resurrect us."

"What about you?" Asriel asked. "You, who tried to murder an innocent kid to abandon the underground and expand your little TV show?"

"Well, it's not that simple. I thought Asgore was going to use Frisk's SOUL to…"

"Destroy humanity?!"

"…As Undyne said, that's beside the point, and perhaps I _should_ have killed him."

"I thought I had done terrible things," Alphys said. "But it's all nothing compared to you."

"You may have brought me back," Papyrus said. "But I'll never be the same again. You took away my innocence. I'll never forgive you for that."

"What do you have to say for yourselves?" Undyne asked. "Not that it matters. Nothing you can say or do will redeem you."

"You're right," Frisk said. "We've done all we can, and all we can do now is say we're sorry."

Chara possessed Frisk.

 _Chara?! What are you doing?!_

"…No," Chara said. "I didn't do any of this! It was all Chara! Chara is the one who killed all of you! I never meant for any of this to happen! I regret everything about her! I was an idiot for liking her! I hate her! I wish I had just let her stay dead for all eternity!"

 _CHARA! NO!_

Undyne saw Chara's unconscious body. "Do you think we're idiots, demon? We're not going to fall for the same trick twice."

Chara returned to her own body.

"Please," Chara said. "It really was my fault. Hate me all you want. KILL me if you want, but don't blame Frisk!"

"NO!" Frisk shouted. "I killed all of you, too! I made Chara a demon! It's my fault, too! You're right to hate me!"

"Yes, we are," Undyne said.

They walked away.

Frisk began crying again. He had lost his friends forever. They would never forgive him. They would hate him forever, and the worst part was, they were right to do so.

Chara hugged Frisk, and they cried in each other's arms.

"…I forgive you," Asriel told them. "For whatever that's worth. I was a serial murderer too."

"…Let's just go home now," Frisk said.

They went home.

* * *

Frisk, Chara, Asriel, Toriel, and Asgore were sitting in their kitchen for dinner. Everyone but Frisk and Chara had finished eating. Frisk and Chara hadn't even touched their food.

Toriel looked concerned. "Frisk…? Chara…? You need to eat…"

They both remained silent.

"…Hey," Asgore gave Chara something, her heart locket. "A Royal Guardsman brought this over yesterday. He says it belongs to you."

Chara wordlessly took the locket. She stared at it emotionlessly.

"…Chara, are you okay?" Asgore asked.

"I know, Chara," Asriel said. "It's just an object. Even without it, we'll always be best friends."

Chara remained silent.

"C-come on, Chara, say something!" Toriel exclaimed.

"…I want to die," Chara said.

Everyone but Frisk gasped.

"NO, CHARA!" Toriel screamed. "You didn't come all this way just to die now!"

"Listen to your mother!" Asgore commanded. "You made some mistakes, but it's all behind you now! You're not a demon anymore!"

"You can't die!" Asriel exclaimed. "We still love you! Frisk, tell her!"

"…I want to die, too," Frisk said.

"Not you too, Frisk!" Toriel shouted.

"Why now?" Asriel asked. "You saved everyone! You've worked so hard! You deserve to live!"

"No," Frisk said. "Even now, we deserve to die. We're beyond forgiveness. Our former friends have made that clear. We only lived to fix what we've done, and now there's only one thing left for us to do."

"You can't be serious!" Toriel exclaimed.

"But, don't you care about Chara?" Asriel asked. "You don't really want her to die, do you? Don't you want to be with her?"

"Asriel," Frisk replied. "What we're feeling is worse than death. I can't live like this. I can't live with all this guilt and shame. I can't live knowing all my friends hate me. If you really care about us, you won't try to stop us."

Asriel looked at Chara desperately. "Chara, when you were brought back to life, you promised you would live for your family!"

"I'm sorry, Asriel," Chara said. "But that's not enough. I can't allow myself to get away with what I've done. I can't live knowing what I did to Frisk and his friends. I don't know why I ever thought I could. I guess… I just wanted to spend a little more time with you and Frisk before I died, and I'm glad I did. I'm glad I didn't spend my last days as a demon. We saved as many people as we could, and I actually had a few happy moments along the way. But… now it's time for us to go."

Before Asriel could say anything, Chara gave Asriel her heart locket.

"Best friends forever."

Chara and Frisk ran out of the house. They ran far away before slowing down, making sure they had lost Asriel, Toriel, and Asgore.

"Wh-where do you want to do it?" Chara asked.

"…Where it all started," Frisk answered.

"…Okay."

"You still have your knife?"

"Yeah."

"…Let's go."

They went to Mount Ebott. They walked through New Home, the Core, Hotland, and Waterfall. They grew tired by the time they reached Snowdin, and it was freezing.

Chara stopped, shivering from the cold. Frisk grabbed her arm and wrapped it around his shoulders to support her.

"Come on," Frisk said. "We'll get plenty of rest soon enough."

Chara laughed. "Just a little longer… until it's okay."

They finally approached the door to the ruins. They walked towards it. Frisk heard a twig snap far behind him. He turned and saw Asriel running towards them.

"We have to hurry," Frisk said.

Frisk and Chara sprinted inside the ruins. Chara resealed the door, locking Asriel out.

Asriel banged on the door. "FRISK! CHARA! PLEASE! YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS!"

Frisk and Chara ignored him and moved through the tunnel. They entered Asgore and Toriel's original house.

"I didn't stay here long," Chara said. "Before I came here, the monsters lived this deep in the underground because they were afraid that the humans would attack them again, but after I arrived, they were filled with hope that they would one day escape. They moved their capital all the way to the underground's entrance. They really thought I would save them… Heh, if only they knew what I was about to do…"

"…You know," Frisk said. "I don't think I would mind this. Living here with you, with the rest of the world shut away."

"Maybe… but it wouldn't be right."

"…You're right. We don't deserve that."

Chara pulled something out of her pocket. It was Frisk's old group photo with his former friends. They were all smiling, but all their faces were crossed out with red _X_ 's.

Frisk held the photo. It had already been stained with Chara's tears, and Frisk added his own.

"I'll say it one last time," Frisk told the photo. "We're sorry. We'll leave you alone now."

They moved through the ruins and reached their final destination: the golden flower patch where they met.

"Despite everything," Frisk said. "I don't regret meeting you. What I do regret, is the moment I killed that Froggit. After we killed Sans, Asgore, and Asriel, there was no hope for us."

"I should have told you to stop," Chara said. "That's what any sane person would have done. But no, I was all for it. I'm a demon."

"We were both demons."

Frisk heard something dripping, and he suddenly felt pain in his arm. He looked at it. It was bleeding.

"H-hey! Don't start without me!" Chara exclaimed.

"I didn't do anything!"

Chara looked at her hand. It was bleeding too. It was bleeding badly. Both of their wounds had reopened. It must have been because they were suicidal. They were determined to die, so that's what their determination was helping them do. At the rate they were bleeding, they were going to die from sheer blood loss.

Chara laughed. "I guess we won't even be needing our knives."

It was eerily fitting. Chara had blood all over her hands, and Frisk was the arm that guided her. Blood gushed out of their wounds, and the golden flowers turned red. Frisk and Chara laid down in the flowers side by side.

"I still love you, Chara."

"I still love you too, Frisk."

"Do you… think we'll meet again?"

"I don't know. Does hell make accommodations for lovers?"

"I guess not…"

"Heh, this reminds me of a story I read. 'I see two lovers staring over the edge of the cauldron of hell. Do they both wish for death? That means their love will end in hell. I couldn't stop laughing…' but it wasn't funny."

"Sounds like a dark story."

"Yes, but not as dark as this one."

"…Goodbye, Chara."

"Goodbye, Frisk."

Frisk and Chara died.

* * *

 **AN: What have I done?**

 **I'm sorry, Frisk and Chara... I didn't mean to make you suffer. I was just... curious. I was wracked with a perverted sentimentality. Can you forgive me?**

 **So... which ending did you like better?**

 **I like the first one.**

 **I think they like the first one, too.**


End file.
